


The Purple Samurai

by CrunchyDoritos



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Dreams, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Kidnapping, Magic, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Torture, Violence, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 67
Words: 197,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrunchyDoritos/pseuds/CrunchyDoritos
Summary: During a battle, Jayden felt an intense presence and began to have nightmares of his friends dying around him, helpless in not being able to save them. Then he meets Tashiko, a mysterious girl who shares the same nightmares as him. Soon, Jayden discovers that Tashiko is not just a random girl, she could either be their salvation...or the rangers destruction...
Relationships: Antonio/OC, Emily/Mike (Power Rangers Samurai), Kevin (Power Rangers Samurai)/Mia Watanabe
Kudos: 3





	1. The Mysterious Presence

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My name is CrunchyDoritos. This is the first fanfiction I am posting on this website. This fanfiction is cross-posted on FanFiction.net under the name GirlyEnder. This FanFiction has actually been completed and I am putting it up here, since I am transitioning to AO3. I am testing this website out and see how it works and why not try it out with a FanFiction I completed over 3-4 years ago. I will be posting a chapter daily/weekly to get in routine and hopefully start posting FanFictions in the future. Keep in mind this is the only Power Rangers FanFiction I will be posting on my profile. I left the Fandom a while ago and I'm just posting this story for others to enjoy. Hopefully, you'll stick around to read my future fics. Enjoy!

"Alright Rangers, I underestimated you!" Serrator stated as he stepped back. In front of the Nighlok, six different colored Power Rangers faced him with their weapons drawn. "Ha!" the Gold Ranger gloated, pointing at the monster in front of him. "Lightzord and I are unbeatable!" Serrator smirked back and took out a sheet of paper with a drawing of a Nighlok. "We will see about that Gold Ranger. Have fun with Papyrax!" Serrator laughed as he threw the paper in the air, bringing the drawing to life. There was a flash of light as the Mooger became Mega sized and began to destroy everything on his path. 

At the monster appearing in the middle of Paronama City, people began to run and scream in panic. 

The Rangers stared at the monster causing chaos in the city before the Red ranger stepped forward and said, "Alright Ranger, we know what to do! Super Samurai Mode!" A white light bathed the Red ranger, making the others shield their eyes. When the light vanished, the Red Ranger had a flowing white cape with the words _Super_ in kanji. The Red ranger raised his Samuraizer in the air and yelled, "Super Mega Mode Power!" The buzzing of the five samurai Zords came to life and began to form into the MegaZord. Five of the six rangers disappeared from sight, reappearing into the large mecha, making them shout, "Samurai MegaZord! We are united!" 

Papyrax turned around, his attention drawn to the MegaZord who know stood in its way. It roared in anger and launched itself towards the MegaZord, attacking it with all his might. 

The Gold Ranger noticing that the others needed his help, got out his Samurai Morpher and stated, "Alright LightZord, I'm going to use the ClawZord for this!" He placed the lamp on the ground and called out, "ClawZord! We need you!" 

The small golden Zord zoomed past the Gold Ranger, transforming into a MegaZord. 

The Gold Ranger disappeared in a light of Gold before appearing in the cockpit of the ClawZord MegaZord. "Alright!" the Gold Ranger stated, rubbing his hands together. "Let's kick it up a notch! ClawZord South!" The ClawZord summoned two katanas, ready to attack. "Have a taste of this! Double Katana Slash!" The ClawZord slashed at the Papyrax, who sidestepped, avoiding the Gold Ranger's attack. Papyrax, avoided another attack from the Samurai MegaZord and grabbed it from behind, shaking it violently. Inside, the Rangers held onto the cockpit for life. "Whoa!" the Green Ranger cried. "This Mooger has a tight grip!" 

"Looks like it's time to use the BullZord," Jayden stated, as he took out the BullZord disk. He placed the disk into his sword and spun it. 

The sound of an angry bull echoed the city, as the BullZord came running into the fight, transforming into Mega mode. The Red Ranger took off the Black Box and turned to the Blue Ranger. "Here Kevin." The Blue Ranger took the Black Box from his leader's hands and thanked him. He attached it to his sword, transforming into Super Samurai Blue. The Red Ranger vanished from the MegaZord cockpit and appeared in the BullZord's cockpit. 

"Let's do this!" Jayden stated, piloting the BullZord into the fight. Papyrax released the MegaZord, it's attention drawn to the ClawZord. "Uh guys! I need a little help!" Antonio shouted, trying to move the ClawZord from the Papyrax's relentless attacks. 

"We got your back Antonio!" Mike shouted. The MegaZord came to the ClawZord's rescue, slashing the Papyrax from behind. The Mooger snarled, turning around to attack the MegaZord, only to be knocked off his feet when the BullZord rammed him with it's horns. 

* * *

On the ground, Serrator was watching the fight with interest. "Three MegaZords and they still can't defeat Papyrax." 

A pulse of energy resonated in the area, catching his attention. _What was that?_ Serrator questioned, glancing at the night sky. The night stars were shinning brightly, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. _Something let out a strange energy pulse._ Serrator was broken out from his thoughts when Papyrax threw the MegaZord down and stepped on it furiously. 

The ClawZord slashed at Papyrax, whom changed forms. "ClawZord East!" The ClawZords summoned two claws, attacking Papyrax in a rapid pace. "Claw Pincher Slash!" Papyrax threw the ClawZord off him and blew a blue smoke at the ClawZord, incasing the Zord in pure ice. "Oh no! Antonio!" the Yellow Ranger gasped, seeing the frozen ClawZord. "Let's get him know that he's distracted!" Kevin ordered, making the MegaZord jump to it's feet. The large Zord slashed at the Papyrax, who turned around and attacked at the MegaZord back. 

Meanwhile, the BullZord was immobile as inside the cockpit, the Red Ranger was clutching his head. He had felt the energy pulse as well and was having trouble piloting the BullZord. Voices were echoing inside of his head. 

_Jayden,_ whispered a voice. _Jayden, please, come with me!_

Flashes of a destroyed Panorama City pulsed behind his eyes. Within the destruction a blurry figure was yelling at him. Their arm was extended towards them, a purple pulse of energy resonated behind the figure. _Jayden, you don't have to do this!_

Jayden's head spun as he began to see images of himself. He looked a couple of years older, ragged and looking like he had seen better days. He was bloody, beaten and had a broken SpinSword in his hands. Despite all of that, he was smiling, smiling such a sad smile. 

_I have to._

His head pounded and he forcefully opened his eyes, finding his friends still in battle. He clutched the handle of the BullZord and shouted, "Shoulder Blasters!" 

The BullZord shot blasts from its shoulders, hitting the Papyrax off its feet. 

Jayden collapsed to his knees, another pulse of pain shooting through his body. He didn't understand what was happening to him. Another image forcefully made its way into his mind. 

_Jayden please! Don't stay!"_ the voice cried. The figure was stepping into a bright purple light before he saw himself get pierced through the chest with a sword. " _NO!"_

An agonizing pain shot through his chest, causing Jayden to gasp out, his green eyes wide in shock. He demorphed, causing the BullZord to return to it's original form. The Red Ranger dropped from the sky like a rock, free falling into he tumbled into the ground. He rolled down the hill, rocks and branches grazing them until he landed into a ditch with a complete stop. He could barely hear his friends yelling his name above the pain and the voices in his head. He clutched his chest, wheezing and gasping for breath, feeling like he was dying. He could feel the phantom of the sword through his chest and he tried to find the weapon embedded in his skin. But there was nothing there. It was all in his mind. 

In the MegaZord, the other rangers were horrified to see their leader dropping from the sky. "Jayden!" they shouted. 

"C'mon! We have to concentrate on Papyrax!" Kevin pointed out, keeping a calm voice, despite his gnawing worry about his leader. The others nodded, taking out their swords and yelled, "Katana Power! Final Strike!" The MegaZord slashed at Papyrax, slicing it in half and ending it's life. Once it was destroyed, the ClawZord broke free from the ice incasing before returning back into its original form. Antonio fell unceremoniously to the ground, demorphing at the impact. He laid there, shivering as the MegaZord dispersed as well. The other four rangers landed on the ground and ran towards him, checking to see if he was alright. 

"Antonio, are you okay?" Emily asked, reaching the Gold Ranger first. She helped him to sit up, noticing how cold he was to the touch. His lips had turned into a shade of blue and he was shivering uncontrollably. "C-C-Could be better," Antonio responded, teeth chattering. 

Mia surveyed the area, watching Serrator wave at them before vanishing through a crack; a crack to the Netherworld. "Well, Serrator's gone," she huffed, annoyed that the slippery Nighlok had slipped through their hands, again. 

Antonio sneezed, making Kevin frown at him. "You're not okay," Kevin stated, growing worried on how Antonio looked. "Go back home. Emily, Mia help him." 

Mike snorted and jokingly stated, "Ha, being frozen and then having a cold." 

Antonio shot him a dirty look. "It-It-It's not funny." He sneezed again and Mia gently grabbed his left arm. "C'mon let's take you home before you get worse." 

Emily glanced back at Kevin and Mike. "Please, find Jayden." The Blue and Green Ranger nodded. "We will Em, don't worry," Mike assured her, giving her a smile. Emily smiled back at him and helped Mia with Antonio. "Tell Mentor Ji we will be back soon," Kevin stated, as the two girls nodded. They disappeared back into the city with Antonio in their hands. 

Kevin glanced at Mike, who awaited his orders. "Let's go find ourselves our Red Ranger." 

* * *

_ "Why?"  _

A voice echoed around him. Jayden slowly opened his eyes, finding himself floating in a void of darkness. He blinked several times, wondering how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered, was him fighting the Papyrax. Then feeling that pulse of energy and the pain and the voices. He gasped, glancing around the darkness before finding a thick, white mist surrounding him. He waved it with his hands, but the mist bleed through his fingers. 

" _Why did this have to happen?"_

The voice sounded excruciatingly sad, causing Jayden's own heart to break. "Hello?" he called out, turning in place, trying to find where the voice was coming from. 

_"Why? Why did he have to die?!"_

The voice distorted, sounding angry and hateful, full of fear and grief.

Jayden's eyes grew wide and clutched his chest. Had he died? His chest pulsed in pain and he remembered the sword going through his chest. "No, I can't be dead!" Jayden whispered. "I can't be! I have to tell them the truth! I can't tell them the truth if I'm dead!" He glanced down at his chest, finding it unstained with no wound in sight. He wasn't dead, at least, from what he could see, he wasn't even wounded. Why was he here? As if the darkness had understood his distress, the white mist swirled around him, forming a distorted image in front of him. 

A young woman was kneeled on the ground, sobs raking her small, lithe body. Long, raven hair cascaded down her shoulders, covering her face. Jayden blinked in confusion and approached the woman, trying to touch her shoulder. "Miss, are you alright?" he asked, only for his hand to go through her shoulder like a ghost. He pulled his hand back, frightened that he couldn't touch the woman before noticing that the image was growing slightly clearer. He gaped, noting that he was standing in front of the Shiba House. He turned to the young woman once more, this time noting her clothing. She was wearing a purple qipao shirt with a short black battle skirt and long, knee white boots. She was bent over a body, hands clenched around the fabric the body was wearing. " _If only, I had arrived in time. I would've saved you!"_ she cried. Jayden recognized the voice from earlier, back when he was inside of the BullZord. The voice, it was this woman crying out. Why was she crying? What happened? Who hadn't she been able to save? 

**Why was the person dead?**

Morbid curiosity sparked within him and he stepped beside the woman, glancing at the body before them. His heart leapt to his throat and felt his stomach turn, feeling the urge to vomit. There in front of him, was a familiar white and black linear scarf. A jacket that matched with it, along with a pair of golden sneakers and dark raven hair. 

Blood was soaking the ground, staining the women's white boots. 

Jayden's body began to shake in pure shock and terror. He grabbed one of his hands, in attempt to stop shaking. His heart was racing out of his chest and his mouth went dry.

He felt sick. 

Tears formed in his green eyes and he felt one of them slip down his cheek. 

_"No! This...can't be! Why him?!"_

* * *

Kevin and Mike ran towards the site they saw Jayden land, but no one was there. "This is hopeless, we've been walking around in circles," Mike stated, putting his hands on his knees. He was heaving for breath. He didn't know how long they had been walking, trying to find the Red Ranger. Kevin glanced around the forest, feeling uneasy. It was dark to decipher anything and it was getting late. They had to find Jayden before it got too dark to continue finding him. "Mike, use the symbol Mentor was showing you the other day." 

Mike looked confused for a moment before asking, "The tracking kanij? It's not perfected, but I'll try." Mike took out his Samuraizer and traced a kanji on the ground. The symbol sunk into the ground, spreading across the area in a dim, green glow. As Mike concentrated, Kevin couldn't help but be proud of the youngest. The Green Ranger had progressed a lot over the year. From a goofball to a great comrade that Kevin could rely on. The trees and grass suddenly began to move, slowly pointing towards one direction: West. _I can't believe it!_ Kevin thought. _He actually made the symbol work! Mike is connected with the surrounding greenery now._ Mike opened his eyes, looking exhausted but his eyes were bright, proud of his achievement. He rose from the ground and glanced at Kevin with a smile. "I found him. C'mon!" He ran deeper into the forest, with Kevin right on his heels. 

* * *

Mia, Emily and Antonio arrived at the Shiba house. Mentor Ji greeted them by the door, leading Antonio towards the baths. He heard about the incident from the girls via phone and had prepared everything needed to warm up the Gold Ranger. While the Gold Ranger tried to warm up in the hot bath, the girls gathered blankets to cover him. They heard him sneeze and Mia frowned worried about him catching a cold. "I'm going to get some medicine," she commented, leaving the Yellow Ranger with the task of taking the blankets to Antonio's room. Emily took the large stack of blankets in her hands, not noticing one of them was slipping from her grasp. She stepped on it by accidently, sending her careening into the ground. The large sound caused Antonio to exit the bathroom quickly, having dressed quickly to find Emily on the ground. "A-A-Are you okay, Emily?" 

Emily rubbed her forehead and nodded. Her face was red in embarrassment for making a scene and quickly tried to gather the blankets from the floor. "I'm fine, just being a klutz." 

"It's okay," Antonio reassured her, helping her pick up the blankets. He helped the younger to her feet and stated, "Thanks Emily. These will keep me warm." 

Emily smiled at him. "You're welcome." 

Mia appeared in the doorway with a tray in her hands. "Mentor Ji made some chicken soup to warm you up." She placed the tray on his nightstand, while Antonio covered himself with the blankets. His head popped out of the blanket burrito and stated in a deep voice, "BOO! I am the blanket monster!" He tried to imitate an evil laugh, only to get interrupted by a coughing fit. "Aw," Antonio groaned, collapsing into the bed. "The coughs ruined my evil laugh." Emily giggled, while Mia reached over and touched Antonio's forehead. She recoiled back when she felt his rising temperature and pointed out, "You're getting fever." 

"Is that why I feel like a garbage," Antonio teased. 

Mia noted that he was trying to lighten the mood, but his shining eyes told her other wise. 

"Eat that chicken soup and rest," Mia ordered, her motherly side coming out. 

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom."

Emily giggled. "Mom, is there any chicken soup left. I am hungry." 

Antonio laughed at that and Mia rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mentor Ji made plenty of it."

"You can keep me company," Antonio noted before coughing once more. 

"I'm getting some wet rags to keep your temperature down," Mia stated and turned to Emily. "You eat too. I don't want you getting sick too." She left the room making the other two rangers glance at each other. 

"Yes Mom," Emily sighed, making Antonio snicker. 

* * *

Mike stopped in his tracks and bent down to pick up something from the ground. It was Jayden's Samuraizer. "Seems we are in the right direction," the Green Ranger commented, scanning the area. The trees and grass whispered to his ears, mapping out the area before Mike noted that to the left of him, broken tree branches and dirt lay in disarray. "This way!" Mike ran down the broken trail before sensing the Red Ranger's erratic breathing. "There!" The Green Ranger rushed towards the Red Ranger, skidding the ground on his knees. "Jayden!" He was about to reach for him when Kevin stopped him. "Wait, don't touch him." 

"What? Why?" Mike protested, glancing at the Blue Ranger. The latter kneeled down and examined the Red Ranger with the light of his Samuraizer. He could see blood streaking down the side of the Red Rangers forehead. His shallow breathing told Kevin that couple of ribs were either bruised or broken. "We have to examine how injured he is," Kevin explained. "If he's hurt badly, it's best not to move him." 

"Is he...okay?" Mike questioned, anxiety slipping through his tone. 

Kevin gave a firm shake. "From what I can tell, he probably has a concussion and probably some broken ribs." 

"What do we do?" Mike asked. 

"Take him back to the Shiba House," Kevin replied. "We have to move him slowly and steady. We don't want to jostle his injuries, okay?" 

"You're the boss man," Mike responded and listened carefully for Kevin's instructions. 

* * *

Jayden bit back a sob as he shook his head in shock. 

"No," Jayden whispered, his heart shattering to pieces. "That...that can't be. Why?" 

The raven haired woman raised her head and sharply turned to look at Jayden dead in the eyes. She had a child like face, looking much younger than her age. Her tan skin was flawless and her jet-black bangs hugged her face perfectly. Her hazel eyes held so much emotion: hatred, pain, grief and anger. She was beautiful, despite the cold glare she was throwing at him. Jayden didn't know what to say or how to approach her. He opened his mouth to speak, when an older version of himself appeared before him.

This one didn't look battered like the one he had seen earlier. 

This one looked defeated and saddened. 

"How," Jayden gasped. "Is this a dream or....a vision?" 

The older version of Jayden, clutched a wound on his side and limped towards the young woman. " _How is he?"_

The woman didn't respond instead, rose to her feet and stepped towards him. _"What happened?" she hissed._

The older Jayden glanced at the ground, green eyes fearful. _"I'm sorry. He....he saved me."_ Tears filled his eyes and slowly slipped down his cheeks. 

The young woman clenched her jaw and snarled, _"This shouldn't have happened. You know that, don't you?"_

The older Jayden glanced into her hazel eyes and whispered, " _Sometimes, things happen for a reason."_

The young woman clenched her hand into a fist and spun around, slamming a fist into the wooden door of the Shiba House. _"What reason? To die, a useless sacrifice over a **lie**?!"_ she screamed. She broke into a sob, grabbing into the wooden panel and slid down into the ground. 

The older Jayden extended his hand towards her but pulled his hand back. " _I know_ ," he whispered, covering his face with his arm. " _I know!_ " 

" _It's time to make things right and stop living a lie,"_ the woman responded. 

The white mist surrounded the image, vanishing from Jayden's sight. "What's happening?" Jayden stated, turning around in a circle. The white mist appeared again, this time, bringing into sight a destroyed, apocalyptic Panorama City. "No..." Jayden whispered in horror. 

* * *

"You found Jayden!" Emily gasped, running towards the Blue and Green rangers. Both looked exhausted but accomplished in fulfilling their mission. Mentor Ji was looking over the Red Ranger, who was laid in the medical cot in the infirmary. He looked in bad shape and Emily dropped her smile. "How is he?" Kevin asked Mentor Ji, rubbing his hands together in a sign of nervousness. 

"He definitely has a concussion," Mentor Ji commented. He prodded Jayden's ribs with gentle fingers, feeling the lumps and unnatural bends. "Broken ribs." He continued to check over the Red Ranger while Mike glanced at Emily. "How's Antonio?" 

"Has a fever," Emily informed him. "Mia believes he was close to hitting hypothermia. He's been coughing non-stop but Mia gave him medicine that knocked him out for now." 

"I see," Mike murmured, glancing back at Jayden. 

"It's he going to wake up soon?" Kevin questioned. 

"I don't know," Mentor Ji responded, cleaning Jayden's head wound. "I hope he wakes up soon. I need to know if they're anymore injuries I need to be worried about." 

* * *

Panorama City was a lifeless, apocalyptic world. The Sanzu River had flooded the clean, pure water. The sky was bloodred and the ground was upturned from old battles. "What happened to the city?" Jayden murmured. 

" _You Rangers will die!"_ Boomed a familiar voice. 

Jayden spun around to find himself staring at the Master of all Nighloks, Xandred. He wielded a huge broadsword as he approached the three remaining rangers: Jayden, Emily and the young woman from his other vision. They all took out their Samuraizers and morphed into Samurai Rangers. "How?" Jayden breathed, seeing the young woman turning into the Purple Samurai Ranger. "I've never heard about a Purple Samurai before..." 

The battle flashed before his eyes. Jayden watched Master Xandred slash the Yellow Ranger's stomach, causing her to bleed out and instantly die. He watched the older Jayden and the Purple Samurai Ranger fight with all their might. Xandred quickly overpowered them, throwing them into the ground with one hit. The Purple Ranger rolled to her feet, writing a kanji in the air. The older Jayden continued to fight against Xandred. A bright purple light emerged from the Purple Rangers kanji and turned to the Red Ranger. _"Jayden! Come with me!"_

The older Jayden slashed at Xandred's left arm, causing the Nighlok to cackle in delight. " _I can't!"_ Jayden shouted. 

" _Jayden, you don't have to do this!"_ the woman shouted. 

Xandred broke the Red Rangers SpinSword, causing the blade to spin in the air and stab the ground behind him. The Red Ranger was bloody, beaten and had a broken SpinSword in his hands. Despite all of that, he was smiling, smiling such a sad smile. " _I have to."_ He shot forward as the Purple Ranger screamed his name. " _Jayden please! Don't stay!"_

Xandred stabbed Jayden through the heart. 

_ "Jayden!" _ the purple ranger screamed in terror. 

Xandred pulled the sword from the Red Rangers chest and dashed towards the Purple Ranger. He slashed at her, catching her by the stomach as she fell backwards into the light, vanishing. 

The white mist surrounded Jayden once again, this time pulling him downwards. It thickened quickly, causing Jayden to grasp at his throat, struggling to get oxygen into his lungs. He was suffocating. He was going to die! 

"NO! NO!" Jayden wheezed, feeling the edges of his eyes darkening. 

He was plunged into the darkness. 


	2. The Lost Girl

_ She watched with horror filled eyes at the sword that went through the Red Ranger’s chest. How his hands fell limply to the sides. How his mouth was opened in a soundless yell. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her eyes glanced at the killer that ended Jayden’s life. “You’re next,” Xandred threatened, approaching her. She stepped backwards, watching Xandred flick his broadsword towards his side, ready to attack. Without hesitation, Xandred slashed his weapon down on her, catching her by the stomach. She screamed, feeling the intense pain pulsing from the slash, making her clutch the wound. She felt the wetness of her own blood seeping through her clothes and she staggered backwards. The taste of iron flooded her mouth and she felt her knees growing weak. As she was starting to collapse to the ground, someone pushed her into the blinding purple light.  _

_ The last words that escaped her mouth before losing consciousness were:  _

_ “Jayden.”  _

A scream for help echoed in the lone, countryside.

* * *

_ Time: Exactly during the time of the MegaZord fight with Serrator _

Moonlight casted its light across the countryside. The ex-guardians of the BullZord were in their cozy home, heading to bed. Cody’s father was tucking the young boy in, who yawned in return. “Night Dad,” Cody told his father. The older man smiled and replied, “Night son. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Cody’s father, Aaron, closed the door to his son’s room before heading outside. He headed towards the garage and turned on the oil lamp. He grabbed his axe, ready to continue cutting down wood planks for the chimney. He grabbed a piece of the tree trunk and with a mighty swing, chopped the wood in half. He threw it to the growing pile of wood he had beside him and raised the axe again. 

A scream echoed in the mountains, sending shivers up his spine and lowered the axe to the ground. 

“Someone help!” came the scream. 

Aaron grew alarmed and grabbed his lantern, illuminating the path around the house. “Hello?” he called out. “Who’s there?” 

“Someone please! Help!” came the scream again. 

Aaron grabbed the axe and slowly walked down the path that led to the mountains. Someone sounded desperate, but he couldn’t be too unguarded. Nighloks and Moogers were known to mimic human voices to lure out humans and kill them. “Where are you?” Aaron yelled back, glancing around the forest. It was pitch black and the only thing that illuminated his path was the oil lamp in his hands. He knew it was dangerous being out here alone. His glowing lamp was giving him away in case this was a trap and he had a thought of snuffing out the light. 

“Help!” The yell was closer than before and Aaron quickly made his way further down the path. 

He suddenly stopped when he felt a pulse of energy nearby, frightened at the intensity of the mere presence and grew alarmed. Was this a trap after all? Was a Nighlok nearby? He cautiously stepped on the path, avoiding any tree branch or leaf that could give away his position. Something rustled in the bush to his left and Aaron spun around, illuminating the area. A rat squittered by, lifting to its hind legs and stared at Aaron with beady black eyes before scurrying off into the other side of the path. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding and turned the light back into the path, catching sight of a white boot. He raised the lamp higher, giving Aaron a wider view of the scene before him.

In front of him, lay the body of a young woman. 

“Oh my…” Aaron gasped out, kneeling down and surveyed her injuries. Blood stained the floor around her and she had an ugly, wound on her stomach that was bleeding heavily. Aaron placed two fingers on her neck, finding a faint pulse and was relieved to find that she was alive. Someone else with the extent of those critical injuries, would have died by now. He had to quickly take her home before she bled out. He took the jacket from his shoulders and placed the cloth on her stomach, hoping it would slow the bleeding. He carefully picked her up, carrying her bridal style and jogged up the path that led back to home. 

Something moved behind the bush once more and a large figure stepped out. They watched the man leave with the girl, their cold brown eyes flickering to yellow before disappearing out of sight.

* * *

Mia yawned as she passed by the kitchen, where Emily and Kevin were eating breakfast. The Yellow Ranger glanced up from her cereal and her eyes widened. “Whoa, Mia! You look awful!” Kevin glanced at the Pink Ranger, who rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Are you okay, Mia? You look like you didn't sleep,” Kevin asked. Both Rangers looked concerned and Mia waved her hand at them. She yawned again, breakfast forgotten and opted to sit down on the table. She laid her head on it and sighed. “I stayed up all night trying to see if Jayden would wake up. Apart from that Antonio’s fever wouldn’t go down. It was stressful and I couldn’t sleep, cause I was so worried.” 

Kevin and Emily exchanged glances. The Blue Ranger glanced at the Pink Ranger. “I think you should get some rest. Emily and I will take care of Jayden and Antonio.” 

Mia smiled at them, raising her head from the table. “Thanks guys. I owe you one.” She left the kitchen and headed towards her room, ready to sleep the rest of the day. 

Mike walked into the kitchen, yawning lazily. “Hey there, peeps,” he greeted, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and taking Emily’s cereal box, despite the younger's protests. “Any news of Jayden and Antonio?” 

Kevin rolled his eyes. “I am not your  _ peep _ . Antonio spiked a fever last night but Mia was up all night taking care of him. Jayden is still unconscious.” Mike shoved a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and slowly chewed. “He should’ve woken by now. Do you think he’s….?”

Kevin slammed his fist into the table, startling the other two rangers. “Don’t you dare say that!” 

Emily nervously glanced at her bowl. She knew that the Blue Ranger was worried about Jayden’s condition. She was also worried. His condition reminded her too much of her ill sister, Serena, who was bed ridden forever until she dies. She didn’t want Jayden going through that or worse,  _ die. _

“Sorry,” Mike murmured, placing the spoon down back into his cereal bowl. He lost his appetite and pushed the bowl away from him. There was a tense silence before Emily whispered, “Someone, please talk. I can’t stand this silence.” The two men turned to look at Emily, who had tears in her eyes. “This silence reminds me too much of how my family and I ate dinner, just waiting, worried that any second that my sister could die. I remember crying myself to sleep, hoping she would get better.” 

“And she is,” came a voice, breaking the Rangers from their reverie. 

Mentor Ji stood in the doorway, giving Emily a gentle smile. “Serena has been getting better Emily. Just like Jayden will.” 

Emily smiled at him back, hoping that Mentor Ji’s words came true. 

Mike got to his feet and gave Emily a tight hug. “Don’t worry. They’ll get better. Serena and Jayden are tough.” 

_ That’s not what you said five seconds ago, _ Kevin rolled his eyes. 

“Thanks Mike,” Emily replied, giving him a bright smile. 

Mike blushed at that and broke their hug, scratching the back of his ear. 

A scream interrupted their moment, making everyone jump to their feet. Mia woke up startled, throwing off the bed sheets and quickly got her slippers on. “What happened?” she asked, rushing into the Common Room. The others were shaking their heads in confusion, noticing that it was Jayden screaming. The rangers ran towards the infirmary to find the Red Ranger, thrashing on the medical cot.

* * *

In the countryside, Aaron was dealing with something similar. 

“JAYDEN!” the woman screamed, her head flipping to the side. Her face scrunched up in pain and her teeth grinded in desperation. Aaron wiped her glistening forehead with a wet rag, hoping to bring her fever down. She was badly wounded from her abdomen, along with a severe concussion, bruises and cuts. The fever wasn’t going down and Aaron was getting desperate that he might have to take her into the city to call a hospital. The reason it was stopping him to take the step was the words the young woman was babbling in her deliriousness. 

“Dad, why does she keep talking about the Samurai Rangers?” Cody asked, anxiously beside his father. He was wetting more rags for his father, wringing them out and placing them in a wooden tray. “I don’t know,” Aaron answered, shaking his head. 

“Antonio, please, don’t do this! I beg you,” she cried in her sleep. “Mike! Don’t! It’s a trick!” 

“She knows their names,” Cody’s eyes grew wide and turned to his father. “Does she know them?” 

“I don’t know,” Aaron replied. “We’ll find out once she breaks out of consciousness.” 

“Jayden! Come with me! Please! I can’t leave you fighting Master Xandred!” she whispered, a tear slipping down the side of her cheek. 

Aaron stared at the young woman, confused and frightened.  _ What is she talking about? Master Xandred hasn’t come to our world yet! _

* * *

Jayden gasped, lashing out at the pair of arms holding his own down. “Jayden! Calm down! You’re safe!” The Red Ranger froze, finding Mentor Ji staring at him, along with Kevin and Mike. Jayden’s green eyes darted between the two rangers before turning his head, finding Mia and Emily staring at him in concern. He noticed that Antonio was occupying the other cot, looking at him with bleary eyes, indicating he was asleep. He sighed in relief, putting his head down on the pillow. He covered his eyes with his arm and felt Mentor Ji, Kevin and Mike release his arms. “Are you okay?” Kevin questioned. 

Jayden nodded and Mike snorted. “You sure? You were thrashing around like a fish out of water.” 

“Hey, that’s my pun,” Antonio rasped, causing the others to laugh. The tension bled out of the room before Mentor Ji asked, “How do you feel?” 

“Like a truck ran over me,” Jayden replied, blinking his eyes. His head was slightly spinning and it was hard to take in a breath. “That might be due to the concussion and broken ribs you have,” Mentor Ji commented. “I’m going to have you in bed rest for a couple of weeks until those ribs and head heal.” 

Jayden nodded, closing his eyes. 

Mentor Ji turned to the other Rangers, shooing them out of the room, despite their protests. They wanted to know why Jayden had screamed awake, but Mentor Ji was having none of it. 

Antonio glanced at his best friend and sat up, placing his hands on his lap. “What happened?” 

Jayden opened his eyes and turned to his best friend. His brown eyes were showing concern and Jayden turned away from him. “You screamed yourself awake. Was it a nightmare?” 

Jayden touched his head. “I don’t know what it was. I saw…..everyone dead. Everyone was dead. There was an apocalypse. The world was crimson red.” 

The Gap Sensor went off and Jayden leapt to his feet, only to hiss in pain and collapse into the ground. The Gold Ranger quickly jumped off his bed and helped the Red Ranger to his feet. He led him back into the bed and stated, “Jay, you aren’t well. You can’t go fighting.” 

“I have too. I’m their leader,” Jayden protested, trying to push Antonio off. But the latter was stronger and Jayden was too weakened to push him off. 

“Kevin is your right hand man,” Antonio frowned. “They’ll be fine.” 

Jayden didn’t reply instead, touched his head. “They’ll be safe, right?” 

Antonio was confused by the question but nodded. “You have my word.” 

Jayden nodded. Mentor Ji entered the room, watching both rangers talk and decided to leave the room. He paused when he caught Jayden’s voice. He stood at the doorway, away from sight and heard the conversation. “Are you really okay? You can drop off the tough guy in front of me. You can tell me if anything is bothering you.  _ Suelta la sopa _ .” 

Jayden gave him a confused look. “ _ Suelta- _ what?” 

Antonio laughed and said, “It means, ‘Spill the Beans’ in Spanish. So, spill the beans. What’s bothering you?” He started to cough, causing Jayden to look at him in concern. “What happened to you?” 

“Oh no!” Antonio coughed, shaking his finger. “You don’t get to change the subject, Jay.” 

Jayden raised an eyebrow in protest and Antonio groaned. He knew his friend always changed the conversation when he didn’t want to open up. The Gold Ranger didn’t want to push the Red Ranger either, so he let it slide for now. 

“Fine, fine. Papyrax froze me inside of the ClawZord. I remained in a frozen tundra until the MegaZord destroyed Papyrax. When I unfroze, I was close to getting hypothermia. So that was fun.” 

Jayden covered the smile with his hand. 

Antonio frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Nothing. I’m just...glad you’re here Antonio.” 

"Where else would I be?" Antonio stared at his friend, watching how the light in Jayden’s bright green eyes had dimmed. Something was wrong, he could feel it. “Are you sure, you’re okay?” 

Jayden glanced at him and nodded. “Fine.” He gave Antonio a forced smile and Antonio felt a curl in his gut. He nodded and both Rangers remained silent as they sat beside each other. One tormented on what they had seen, the other, wondering how he could help his friend.

* * *

“Alright guys! Let’s finish off this Nighlok!” Kevin stated, summoning the Black Box. He attached it to his SpinSword and yelled, “Super Samurai Mode!” A white light bathed the Blue Ranger and when it vanished, the Blue Ranger was wearing a white cape with the kanji “Super”. Mike got out his disk from his belt and placed it on his sword. He spun the disk and yelled, “Forest Spear!” His sword was converted into a green spear, with the word “Forest” in kanji. 

“Let’s do this!” Mia stated, running towards the Nighlok. “Interesting!” the Nighlok named Yoshi stated, avoiding their attacks. He was a fat, short Nighlok with blue and red stripes covering his body. He had one eye and a hook for his left arm. In his right, he wielded a katana and was fast enough to match the Gold Rangers slash maneuver. 

“I remember Xandred stating there were six of you!” Yoshi stated, blocking Mike’s Forest Spear. “Oh? What is this? Where’s your precious Gold and Red Ranger?” 

“You should be worrying about us!” Mike stated, pushing off the Nighlok as Kevin slashed Yoshi. Yoshi jumped out of the way and shouted, “Moogers! Attack!” Moogers seeped out of the gaps, roaring and attacked the Rangers. 

Serrator watched from afar, a smirk evident in his face.  _ I see. I incapacitated the Gold Ranger with Papyrax. Ha and they haven’t even met Kameyo yet! Oh, it seems they’re missing their Red Ranger as well. Seems that nasty fall off the BullZord kept that poor thing down. _ He watched the Samurai Rangers defeating the Moogers and thought.  _ Life is being good to me _ . Serrator suddenly felt that someone was observing him and turned around, blasting the area behind him. He saw a blur land in the opposite direction of the explosion. Serrator narrowed his eyes and yelled, “Who dares to spy on Serrator?” 

The smoke cleared away, revealing a Nighlok shorter than Serrator. It rose to their feet, looking similar to the half-Nighlok Dekker but was more human than Nighlok. “Who are you?” Serrator asked, getting into a defensive stance. The Nighlok glanced at Serrator and stated, “Who are you?” 

“My name is Serrator. Servant to Master Xandred.” He relaxed, bowing to the Nighlok, curious who this Nighlok was. “And you are?” 

“I come from a different place, deep in the Sanzu River,” the newcomer replied. “From another….world.” 

Serrator took interest in this and asked, “Care to explain more?” 

“If you want my full answer, I request you to take me to Master Xandred,” the newcomer stated. 

Serrator narrowed his eyes. “Why should I?” 

The newcomer scoffed, a mischievous tone sneaking it’s way to their reply. “You’ll be interested in what I have to say to him. So please, Serrator, be humble and take me to our Master.”

* * *

“Sky Fan!” Mia yelled, spinning around and destroying the remaining Moogers. “Nice Mia!” Emily stated. 

“Thanks Em!” Mia sighed, lowering her Sky Fan. “I’m still pretty good, even though I’m exhausted.” 

Emily smiled before Yoshi appeared before them, ready to swing down at them. “Mia!” 

The Pink Ranger was too slow to block the attack. She closed her eyes awaiting the slash when the clink of two swords colliding made her open her eyes. Kevin had jumped in front of her, his sword locked with Yoshi’s. “Kevin,” Mia breathed, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. Kevin threw the Nighlok of him and spun around, slashing at Yoshi’s stomach. Yoshi staggered back, holding his wound. “Crap! You blocked my killing blow!” he snarled. 

“Mia, are you okay?” Kevin asked the Pink ranger. Mia nodded as Kevin gave her a small smile. “Good.” He shot forward, attaching the Black Box and spinning the disk on his SpinSword. His sword glowed blue, water forming around the blade as he yelled, “Dragon Splash!” The Blue ranger landed the killing blow on the Nighlok, making Yoshi collapse into the ground and explode.

Kevin turned around to face the other rangers, who cheered at him. “Man, I’m not gonna mess with Mia if you’re gonna do that to everyone that does,” Mike joked, nodding at the Nighlok. 

Kevin shot a glare at the Green Ranger. “Hey! I would do that to help any of you!” he said defensively. 

“Um, sorry to interrupt, but um the Moogers are growing Mega mode,” Emily pointed out. 

The Rangers glanced at the sky, seeing the Moogers causing destruction in their way. 

“Come on,” Kevin told them, taking out his Samuraizer. “Zords combine!” 

The Zords zoomed past the rangers, transforming into the MegaZord. The Rangers disappeared in their respective colors appearing once again in the MegaZord cockpit. “Super Samurai MegaZord! We are united!” they all yelled out.

Yoshi snarled angrily and yelled, “You’re all going to pay for that rangers!” He slammed into the MegaZord, trying to knock it down. The MegaZord staggered from the impact but managed to remain standing, slashing at Yoshi. Yoshi dodged the attack, grabbing the MegaZord’s leg with his hook and knocked it off it’s feet. The ground rumbled from the giant mecha collapsing into the ground. “Whoa!” Mia gasped, grabbing the cockpit to keep herself from falling off. 

“Not a smooth move,” Mike commented.

“Let’s stand up!” Emily replied, making the Megazord get to its feet, just in time to avoid Yoshi’s stab. 

Yoshi slashed at the MegaZord, only for it to be blocked with it’s katana. It pushed Yoshi off and attacked him, knocking the Mega Nighlok down. The Megazord slashed at Yoshi with no mercy before landing the final blow. “Final Strike!” the rangers yelled. “NO! Please have mer-!” Yoshi yelled before the katana sliced him in half. He fell down, exploding.

“Samurai Rangers, victory is ours,” Kevin said, as the Megazord powered down.

* * *

She opened her eyes to find the sunlight fading into the mountains, showing the night sky. She glanced around, not recognizing the cabin she was in.  _ Where am I? _

She slowly started to sit up, hissing as a shot of pain went through her stomach. She clutched her stomach, lifting up her shredded shirt to reveal bandages covering a wound.  _ What happened? _ She noticed a young boy with dirty blonde hair sleeping on a desk beside her bed.  _ Who’s that? _

“You’re finally awake,” stated an older voice. 

She turned her head around to find a tall man standing in the doorway. He had a tray of steaming hot tea and approached her, setting the tray besides the sleeping boy. He kneeled down to her eye level, staring at her with light green eyes. He also had dirty blonde hair and she suspected this man was the child’s father. He was staring at her suspiciously and she couldn’t help but feel defensive. “Where am I?” she rasped. She touched her throat, noticing how dry it was. The man reached over the kid and handed her a cup of tea. It was warm in her hands and the coldness that grasped in her mind and body, ebbed away. 

“You’re in a cabin, in the mountains,” the man answered her. “I found you by the trail, injured and on the brink of death.” Seeing her suspicious stare and defensive guard, he relaxed his own body and raised a hand in a placating maner. “You’re safe.” 

She didn’t relax, but sniffed the tea. Satisfied that it didn’t smell like poison or anything else, she sipped it. She relinquished how it soothed her throat and warmed her belly, relaxing. She tried to sit up better, but winced when the injury flared again. “You shouldn’t try to move,” the man suggested. “Your wound is deep.” 

She eyed him before easing herself into the pillows on her back. 

“Can you tell me your name?” the man asked. 

“My name?” she echoed. She frowned, thoughtful before touching her head. Her hazel eyes widened, darting around the blankets and sheets that covered her legs. Her breathing grew shallow as she panicked. 

_ My name. What is my name?  _

“I….I can’t remember.” She glanced at the man, her pupils blown in pure panic and fear. 

The man gave her a sympathetic look and stated, “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” 

The young woman glanced away, tears forming in her eyes. 

Aaron knew that the young woman had suffered a severe concussion. This could’ve caused her to have a temporary amnesia. He glanced out the window, knowing that tomorrow morning, he’ll have to go back to the place he found her. Hopefully, she had dropped some sort of identification to identify her. 

Or else she was a Jane Doe. 


	3. The Samurai Rangers

Serrator led the newcomer into the shores of the Sanzu River. “Xandred’s ship is the one at the distance,” Serrator told the Nighlok. “You’re welcome to go, or, will you take my offer instead.” 

Serrator had told the newcomer of his plan to take over the world and how he wanted to destroy the Power Rangers. “You know,” the newcomer stated. “On second thought, you do amuse me, Serrator. Your plan is something that piques my interests. I’m in.” Serrator smiled and stated, “Now, Nighlok, tell me your secrets.” 

The Nighlok wagged their finger at Serrator. “That’ll ruin the fun Serrator. I can only tell you that I have a deep hatred for Humans.” The Nighlok shapeshifted into a Human. “And my powers help me blend in with them. Making it easy to take them out.” Serrator smirked. This shapeshifting Nighlok was a blessing in disguise. They were someone he could use, especially with it’s capacity in shapeshifting. 

“Your powers will be deemed useful,” Serrator told the Nighlok. “Together we will squash the Power Rangers Samurai.” 

The Nighlok’s eyes glowed yellow and stated, “But before we get to that. There is another Nighlok that will prove you useful.”

“Tell me Uragiri,” Serrator purred. “Who is this Nighlok?” 

“A Nighlok who holds a magical staff with secrets. Secrets that will prove to be, very useful in our conquest,” Uragiri grinned.

* * *

Aaron scanned the area where he had found the young woman. There was nothing but her blood stains on the ground. Disappointed, Aaron headed back to his house, unknowing that someone was watching him. 

Yellow eyes observed him walk down the path before the Nighlok stood up and stepped out of the bushes. The Nighlok was green and tall, with silver wings on his back. He was muscular and his body was similar to Dekker’s. His face was distorted, half of it melted off, giving him a permanent lopsided grin.  In his hands, he wielded a yellow staff with accented marks, and a crystal ball that swirled blue and purple. He followed the Guardian at a safe distance before stopping. A barrier was activated around the house, blocking any trespassing Nighlok. He watched the Guardian enter his home before turning away, disappearing through a gap.

* * *

Aaron sighed, tossing his keys at the counter and rubbed his face. The young woman was officially a Jane Doe and he had no clue where to start in finding who she was. He entered the guest room, finding Cody and the young woman talking. 

“Dad!” Cody called out, when he heard the older man enter the room. 

“Cody,” Aaron smiled, ruffling his hair and glanced at the young woman. Despite her ragged experience, she looked better than the day before. 

“What were you two talking about why I was gone?” Aaron questioned. 

“Well, Tashiko and I were talking about how amazing the sunsets look in the mountains,” Cody began. “That’s her name?” Aaron interrupted, surprised that the girl had remembered. 

“Not exactly,” Cody replied. “That’s what we’re going to call her until she remembers her name.” 

“We were choosing names,” the woman shyly commented. “And I liked the name Tashiko.” 

“Which means ‘Clever child!’,” Cody stated with a grin. The girl smiled back before turning to the man. “Cody told me your name is Aaron.” 

Aaron gave a curt nod. 

The young woman bowed as best as she could. “ _ Arigatou _ . Even though I don’t remember, I am humbled that you’re helping me during this difficult time.” 

“No problem,” Aaron replied, bowing back. “We will help anyone who’s in need. We’ll find out who you are and you’ll be home, safe. I promise you that.” 

Tashiko gave him a smile, her hazel eyes glittered with hope. “ _ Arigatou. _ ”

“I’ve been meaning to ask Tashiko,” Cody asked, making the girl glance at the young boy. “Do you remember who Antonio, Jayden, Mike, Kevin, Mia or Emily are?” 

_ “Jayden! Don’t stay!” _

Tashiko winced, touching her head as a buzz of pain shot through her head.

_ “JAYDEN!” _

“I don’t remember who they are,” Tashiko answered, once the pain subsided. “I keep having dreams about them. It feels like I know them, but at the same time, I don’t. They look familiar but unfamiliar.” 

Aaron stared at the young woman and turned to Cody. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.” With that, Aaron stood up and made his way to his office. He took out a clean sheet of paper and began to write a letter. When he finished, he rolled it up before putting a Samurai crest, sealing the letter. He summoned a bow and arrow with Symbol Power and attached the paper to the arrow. He fired the arrow, hoping it would arrive at its destination. 

_ Mentor Ji. I need your help. _

* * *

At the shores of the Sanzu River, a tall, green nighlok with silver wings, watched the red water gently lap against its feet. He glanced at the crystal ball that was on top of his staff and waved his hand on top of it. An image of the girl, Tashiko, appeared. He observed through the crystal ball, witnessing how a young boy talked to the girl. 

“Out of all the places, I didn’t expect you to be here,” came a voice. The Nighlok turned around to find Uragiri. 

“You,” the Nighlok growled, causing his scepter to glow. 

“Whoa, whoa!” Uragiri stated, waving her hands around. “I’m not here to fight.” 

“I’m not in the mood to deal with you,” the Nighlok growled. “Why are you here?” 

“I’m here to give you a chance to blend with the Nighloks here,” Uragiri shrugged, slowly walking around the latter. “After all, we are Nighloks that have been... _ reborn _ .” 

The Nighlok didn’t say anything before lowering his staff and simply said, “What’s in it for you?” 

“Nothing,” Uragiri shrugged. “It’s just a good friend helping another friend out.” 

“There is always a catch with you,” the Nighlok replied. 

Uragiri smirked and gave a one arm shrug. "No catch." 

“You shouldn’t mess with the other Nighlok,” he added. 

“I’m not, but I ain’t going to risk rising suspicious on how we appeared out of nowhere,” Uragiri responded. “After all, they will fi-”

The Nighlok let out a snarl. “Shut it. Fine. I’ll play along with your little game. On the condition that you don’t mess with our target.” 

“That’s the Hideo I know!” Uragiri grinned, clapping her hand sarcastically. “Now, come. The Nighloks are having a nice, juicy meeting in how to destroy the rangers.” Uragiri turned around beginning to lead Hideo down the shore, making the latter eye her suspiciously. He glanced at his crystal ball once more before the image of Tashiko disappeared. 

He followed Uragiri down the trail.

* * *

The two Nighlok entered the cave where the meeting was going to take place. Already, the cave was full of Nighlok of all different shapes and sizes. Uragiri and the Nighlok took a seat near the entrance in case they needed a quick escape. 

Uragiri watched as more and more Nighlok filled the cave. The Nighlok glanced around, her eyes stopping at a Nighlok that had a half-metal, half-tiger face. She assumed this was the Nighlok Serrator had referred to as Catyasu. Her eyes drifted to another female Nighlok whose red fiery hair covered one of her eyes. She had long claws that made Uragiri shiver in disgust. She glanced beside her where Hideo leaned against the wall of the cave, looking rather uncomfortable. 

“Where is this Serrator you were talking about?” Hideo asked.

As in cue, there was a puff of smoke in the middle of the cave as a white haired Nighlok appeared. “That’s him,” Uragiri smirked, nodding at the Nighlok. 

“Brothers and Sisters,” Serrator began, his voice catching everyone’s attention. “Our plan will soon be in motion. We are still missing a few pieces. We will need Uramasa, Dayu’s harmonium and an infiltrator so we can finally destroy those damn Rangers!”

“What infiltrator are you talking about?” one of the Nighloks called out. “We can’t get near the Shiba House before getting destroyed by the barrier symbols!”

The other Nighloks nodded in agreement, making Serrator raise his arms in silence. “I have various tricks up my sleeve. We have here a shapeshifting Nighlok.” He pointed at Uragiri who seemed flattered at every Nighlok glancing at her. Hideo threw her a warning glance but she gave him a cheshire grin. “

Yeah, she can shapeshift into a human, but what about the barrier?” another Nighlok called out. 

“She’ll die before she can cross the gate!” another stated. 

“We will use one of the Ranger’s blood,” another Nighlok grinned, getting to its feet. “The blood can be contained in a small container around this Nighloks neck, accessing her into the Ranger’s cozy warm home.”

“Yeah!” cried another. 

“Brilliant idea,” Serrator smirked. “You, go and get me that blood sample.” 

“As you wish Master!” the Nighlok, whose idea was going into motion disappeared. 

“One more thing before we begin Phase One,” Serrator pointed out. “No one tell Master Xandred of this plan. Or else…” He raised his hand, killing the nearest Nighlok to him. All the Nighlok’s that were gathered swallowed before giving Serrator curt nods.

“As you wish, Serrator.”

The Nighlok’s exited the cave, murmuring about the meeting. Hideo walked away from the others and away from Uragiri. His feet led him to the Sanzu River, where he stared into the water and glanced at his scepter. “If you’re going with a plan, Uragiri, then I shall start mine.”

* * *

A few days had passed since Yoshi’s destruction and the Rangers were celebrating the Nighlok free days. 

“Woohoo! No Nighlok attacks for days and today we get the day off!” Mike yelled, punching the air. 

“Let’s get ice cream!” Emily shouted, matching Mike’s hyperactive behavior. 

The two youngest rangers glanced at the two older rangers. Mia and Kevin exchanged glances, chuckling. “I third that,” Mia stated, glancing at the younger rangers. 

Kevin rolled his eyes. “It’s not in my Samurai diet, but I guess...one won’t hurt.” 

“Yay! We’re getting ice cream!” Emily yelled, high fiving the Green Ranger. 

“Hey, but you’re taking care of the hyperactive teens, Kevin told Mia, who slapped his arm. The four rangers left the Shiba House. 

Jayden watched his teammates go get ice-cream, after they finished their afternoon practice with their wooden katanas. 

It was the middle of summer, the weather being too warm, but it didn’t bother Jayden in the slightest. He had decided to get some fresh air after being stuck in bed for a few days and the warm weather was making him feel a bit better. But now watching his teammates leave, he began to feel down again. Ever since he had witnessed his friend's deaths, he was afraid that the second they left, he would never see them again. He was stuck with that emptiness he felt before seeing Xandred’s sword go through his chest. Jayden unconsciously touched his chest, feeling the phantom pain chill his body. 

“Not going?” stated a voice, scaring the Red Ranger out of his skin. He whirled around to find the Gold Ranger standing in the door frame. His brown eyes were watching his friend with worried eyes. Jayden glanced away from his friend. “No.” He heard Antonio sigh in annoyance. 

“You’ve been distant ever since the night you fell out of the BullZord and hit your head.” Antonio walked over to Jayden and sat beside him on the porch. “Look Jayden. I’m getting really concerned. You keep waking up in the middle of the night screaming. What are you dreaming that’s causing you to act this way? Please tell me, I only want to help.” 

Jayden continued to stare at the grass blades that were slowly moving with the wind. “I don’t feel like talking about it.” Antonio let out an exasperated sigh. “Jay, I’m just trying to help. If you have a problem, you know you can tell me. I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything.”

“I don’t have a problem!” Jayden suddenly snapped, whipping around to glare at the Gold ranger. 

“Whoa, I didn’t mean…” 

“I’m getting tired of everyone looking at me like I’m crazy!” Jayden continued. “I’m not crazy and I don’t have a problem!” 

“You clearly have one if you’re screaming every time you close your eyes,” Antonio pointed out. “

You don’t understand!” Jayden shouted, shooting to his feet. 

“I clearly don’t,” Antonio replied, standing up as well. “That’s why I want you to tell me ab-” 

“Fine, you want me to talk about it? Here’s your answer! Every time I close my eyes, I see a world that we failed to save!” Jayden snarled. “A world that everyone, all my friends, died by Xandred’s hand. That Xandred had defeated every single one of us and had taken over the world! The world was flooded with Sanzu Water and there were hardly any human’s left! Is that what you wanted to hear?!” 

Antonio glanced at Jayden, stunned by what his friend had told him. 

Jayden, realizing how he snapped at his best friend, touched his face and sat back down on the porch. He held his head and suddenly, Antonio saw his friend just age by telling him all that. He noticed the dark bags under his friend’s eyes, the tiredness, the sadness and on the edge of giving up. 

“I’m sorry,” Antonio replied, glancing at the grass. 

“I should be the one saying sorry,” Jayden guiltily replied. “I just snapped.”

“I’m the one who pushed you,” Antonio admitted.

A silence covered both rangers before Antonio glanced at the sky and said, “So everyone was dead?” 

“Yeah,” Jayden murmured. “Even me.” 

“Is that what you worried about? That we are going to die?” Antonio asked. 

Jayden sighed. “Yes.” He narrowed his green eyes. “Except that girl…”

“What girl?” Antonio echoed, confused. 

“A girl that was crying over you. I-I don’t know who it was. I have never seen her before,” Jayden replied. “But…” He looked past the gates of the Shiba house, imagining her. “She managed to escape.”

* * *

Ji sat in his studio, thinking about the letter Aaron had sent him about the young girl.  _ A girl that knows of the Rangers and can see the future… _ he thought.  _ Could be true, could be not… _ He glanced at his bookshelf and got to his feet. He skimmed through his collection of books until he saw the one he was looking for. It was an old, dusty book that was hidden from view that had the Shogun Samurai in the cover. Ji blew the dust off the book, making him cough as he opened it, skimming through the pages. He stopped at a certain page before a sheet of paper fell out. Ji placed the book on his desk before picking up the paper and opening it. His eyes went wide and quickly grabbed a clean sheet of paper and wrote a few things down. He finished the letter, placed an old Samurai Morpher, a seal so nobody could get nosy and placed the Shiba crest. After he finished, he rushed out of his studio and into the backyard. 

Ji found Jayden sitting on the porch with Antonio beside him. “Jayden,” Ji called. The Red ranger turned around to look at his mentor. 

“Is something wrong?” Jayden asked, quickly getting to his feet. 

“No,” Ji replied, handing him a letter. “I want you to go to the Guardian’s house.” 

Antonio got to his feet, the information catching his attention. 

“Uh, I don’t know,” Jayden began. 

“He’ll love too,” Antonio interrupted with a smile, wrapping his arm around Jayden’s shoulders. 

Ji nodded in approval and said, “Good. You two, head there tomorrow morning.”

“Alright Mentor,” Antonio grinned. Ji handed the Gold ranger the letter before leaving them alone. 

Jayden shrugged Antonio’s arm off his shoulder, whipping around to glance at his best friend. “Why did you-” 

“C’mon Jay,” Antonio began, turning around, throwing his arms in the air. “Visiting the mountains and Cody won’t hurt. It will take your mind off things!” He turned back around, seeing Jayden glancing at the ground. Antonio placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. “It will be an adventure like the ones we had as kids.” 

Jayden sighed and said, “Alright.”

* * *

Tashiko sat on the porch, hearing Aaron chop some wood in the background. She stared at sunset, the rays of the sun casting an orange glow around the mountain side. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful.”

Aaron chopped another piece of wood and threw it towards the pile he had. He smiled and stated, “That’s why we love it here. Much better here than the noisy city of Panorama.” He chopped another piece of wood, with a smile on his face. Tashiko had been so lively around the house; it was hard to say he had found her almost dead a few days ago. 

But the question of her knowing the Power Rangers was still nagging in his head. 

“Are you sure that you don’t know who Emily, Mike, Kevin, Mia and Antonio or maybe Jayden are?” 

He saw her smile disappear instead a pout appeared. She crossed her arms and turned away from him. “Here we go again,” she grumbled annoyed. “I don’t remember okay? I have anesthesia or amnesia, whatever you call it. I. Don’t. Remember.” 

Aaron chopped another piece of wood making Tashiko slowly turn around to glance at him. He glanced at her, seeing her face go from annoyed to serious. “Did I say those names while I was unconscious? Do you think those people can help me remember? That’s why you keep asking so much?”

Aaron didn’t reply, instead continued to chop more wood. “Or are they some kind of secret spies or superheroes or super criminals?” Tashiko teased, her grin returning. Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Yes, you do say those names a lot. Yes they’re kind of like superheroes, actually it’s complicated to say what they are.” That peaked Tashiko’s interest but made her pout. “So they’re kind of complicated to explain? Or is that just an excuse to not tell me about them?” 

Aaron gave her a look. “Well..” 

“What? Are you going to tell me that they have cell phones that have magical powers that convert them into colorful samurai?” 

Aaron almost dropped his axe in shock. Tashiko turned to glare at him, a pout still clear in her face. “Well?” Aaron gave a sigh and put his axe down. “I’m not dumb,” Tashiko continued, uncrossing her arms and glanced at the ground. “I have dreams about these warriors, samurai or whatever they are. They transform into colorful suits and have weapons.” She glanced at Aaron and pleaded, “Can you help me figure out who they are?” Aaron looked at her, noticing the look she was giving him. She looked confused, lost, her eyes just wanted answers. He knew if he took the step of telling her about these “colorful rangers”, there was no turning back.

Aaron sighed and stated, “Follow me.” Tashiko opened her eyes wide in surprise and followed the older man back into the house. Leading her towards the maze of hallways, he led her towards the library, making her gawk at all the books that covered the four walls and the middle of the room. The older man headed towards a specific shelf and grabbed a book. “The warrior's, you’re talking about,” Aaron quietly whispered. “Are called the Power Rangers Samurai. They save our world from Moogers, Nighlok and the evil Master Xandred.” He looked at her before realizing Tashiko’s blank look. He mentally face palmed himself and stated, “I think I should start from the beginning.” He opened the book and began, “Centuries ago, Nighlok monsters invaded our world. Only the Samurai Rangers could stop them…” 


	4. Serrator's Plan Begins

The Samurai Rangers were outside having their morning session of wooden katana practice. Jayden was paired with Antonio, Mike with Kevin and Mia and Emily together. Mentor Ji was observing them practice, ensuring that no one would get injured. Thunder was beginning to be heard in the distance, making Ji glance at the sky worriedly. The sky was darkening and the air was too humid for his liking. Mentor Ji looked at the letter that was sticking out of Antonio’s bag, his face darkening. Ever since he received Aaron’s letter, he had the mysterious girl in his mind. He wanted to learn more about her. He wanted to know the dreams she was having, and why Aaron thought she could see the future. 

If it was what Ji had in mind, about her being a  _ special _ girl, he wanted her in the Shiba House as soon as possible. 

Jayden hit Antonio’s wooden katana and before Antonio could react, he hit him in the knee. Antonio fell on one knee as Jayden’s katana was placed near his neck. “I surrender!” he squeaked, raising his hands in surrender. Jayden grinned at his victory, making Antonio smile. This morning the Red ranger seemed different. He looked refreshed, he almost looked like his normal self again. Jayden extended his hand, which Antonio took gratefully and rose from the ground. 

Mike let out a yelp as he fell on his back. His feet had been swiped away by the Blue ranger who was grinning. “Gotcha,” Kevin teased as the Green ranger glanced at him with a pout. Mia and Emily giggled as Mike laid on his back in defeat. A few drops of rain began to fall, causing Ji to wave at them. “That’s enough practice for today!” he called, as the rangers placed away their training gear and went towards the benches to grab their water bottles. 

“Good job everyone. Everyday, you are all getting better,” Ji complimented them. The rangers thanked their mentor before glancing at Jayden to see if he was going to say anything. But Jayden was distracted by the rain clouds that were gathering, making the other rangers exchange glances. Antonio gently elbowed his friend catching his attention. The Red ranger turned around to see his friends waiting on him. “Yeah, good job,” Jayden told them distractedly before heading inside the house. Kevin exchanged looks with Mia while Mike glanced at Antonio who shrugged. Emily sighed, seeing the others giving each other looks and headed inside the house. Kevin and Mia followed suit while Mike muttered, “Each time I think Jayden is turning crazier.” Antonio followed them at a distance, picking up a few things from the others. 

“I’m worried for Jayden,” Kevin told Mia. “This isn’t like him.” 

The Pink ranger sighed in agreement. “I know. He’s changed after he fell from the BullZord. Haven’t you heard him screaming during the night?” Kevin gave a nod. He had heard the Red ranger screaming at night and it was terrifying hearing it. Was it nightmares? Or was it something more? “What do you think’s happening to him?” Mia asked worriedly. 

Kevin let out a sigh and shook his head. “I don’t know. I feel helpless not knowing in how to help him.” 

“I know,” Mia murmured. “He should tell us what’s wrong so we can help him.” 

“I know but you know how he is,” Kevin replied. “He doesn’t open up.” 

_ Because the thing he saw, is something too terrifying, _ Antonio thought.  _ He doesn’t want you guys to carry that burden _ . He watched them leave before remembering the letter Ji had given him the day before.  _ Oh yeah! The letter! Maybe this trip will help Jayden! _ he thought as he left to find the Red ranger. 

* * *

Tashiko looked out the window, watching the rain hit the windows. She stared at the  drops of water slide down the glass. She heard footsteps but didn’t turn around, seeing Cody in the reflection of the window. He sat cross legged on the floor beside her. 

Cody slid his finger across the wooden floor, not knowing what to say to the teenage girl. “I used to watch the drops of rain on the windows, thinking the droplets were racing, cheering on which drop slid down the fastest,” Tashiko quietly said, breaking the silence. She touched the glass, tracing her finger on a drop as it slid down the glass. 

“You’re remembering?” Cody asked surprised. “Only specks of faint memories,” Tashiko replied with a sigh. “I remember that memory but I was only four back then.” 

“Hey, it’s a start!” Cody told her with a grin. 

Tashiko couldn’t help but give him a small smile before turning back at the window. “I still don’t remember my name, my home, my friends or family.” She curled her lip and spat bitterly, “I can only remember those Samurai Rangers. Those Rangers that keep popping in my dreams.” She leaned her head against the window. “Now that I know more about them, I guess I understand why the fight.” 

“To save the world,” Cody grinned. He glanced out the window and said, “They’re pretty amazing once you get to know them.”

_ Yeah, I guess they are _ , Tashiko thought, remembering her lesson with Aaron yesterday. He gave her only little information, but enough to where Tashiko understood who they were and why they fought. She smiled and turned to Cody. “Are they cool like you?” she asked playfully, ruffling his hair. 

“Hey!” Cody protested, pushing her hand away. He fixed his hair, flushed and said, “Yes! They’re even cooler than me!” 

* * *

Antonio found Jayden sitting alone in the couch, watching the rain. “Hey Jay,” he told him, sitting beside the Red ranger. 

“Antonio,” Jayden simply replied, not bothering to glance at the Gold ranger. 

Antonio took out the letter Ji had given him yesterday and waved it in front of Jayden. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” 

Jayden stared at the letter and sighed, “Oh right.” 

Antonio sighed and said, “Come on Jay, cheer up! We are going on a little road trip!” 

“Yes and it’s better for you two to get going before the storm,” Ji told them, walking into the common room. Antonio gave a nod and got to his feet, Jayden following suit.

“C’mon!” Antonio stated excitedly as he headed towards the door. Jayden couldn’t help but smile at the hyper Gold ranger. 

“Coming.” 

Ji followed them towards the Shiba Gates.  _ I feel darkness coming _ , he thought as the two rangers disappeared from sight.  _ Jayden, Antonio, please be safe. _ Turning around, he went back towards the Shiba house, only to find something fly past him and land into the door of the Shiba house. Ji quickly found himself plucking an arrow off the door. He removed the note attached it and quickly read it. 

**Almost ready,** it read causing Ji to open his eyes in shock.  _ Oh no _ , he thought. 

* * *

Aaron rubbed his chin as he looked over Cody’s new project.  _ Man, he’s getting too smart _ , he thought proudly. He watched him and Tashiko practice sword fighting. He glanced at the rain clouds that were forming and decided to call them inside before the storm came. 

Cody fell to the ground as Tashiko had swept his feet from under him. Tashiko placed her wooden katana near his throat and smirked. She pulled away and extended her hand, helping the young boy to his feet. 

“Wow,” Cody breathed. “Where you learn that?” 

“I don’t know,” Tashiko shrugged, a blush forming in her cheeks. “I didn’t hurt you did I?” 

“Not at all,” Cody shook his head before his eyes opened wide. “I think you were some kind of fighter!” 

Tashiko chuckled and said, “I don’t know…” 

“Looks like you had some training in your life and you can’t remember!” Cody continued in awe.

“I’m not sure,” Tashiko repeated, scratching her head. 

“Then explain the fighting techniques you were using on me right now!” Cody challenged, his brown eyes examining her hazel ones. 

“Instinct?” Tashiko blurted out. Cody looked at her like she had grown a second head. 

“Tashiko! You do not get these moves by instinct!” Cody stated, raising his hands up in the air. “I’m telling you! You probably got trained by someone who knew some Samurai moves!” Cody’s face lit up in excitement. “Maybe you got trained by a Samurai Ranger!” 

Tashiko shook her head. “I don’t think so. Your dad told me that the last generations of Samurai Rangers are retired. Except the Red ranger, who died bravely in battle.  I don’t think none of them trained me.” 

Cody tapped his chin and said, “Then it’s a mystery!” 

“Cody! Tashiko! Time to head inside!” Aaron called from the doorway. The two young teens sighed and headed inside of the house. 

“Cody,” Aaron began, showing him the blueprints. 

“What did you think?” Cody asked his dad with a hopeful smile. 

“What do I think? I think you should get started on this project as soon as possible,” Aaron told his son, giving him back the blueprints. Cody received the blueprints, beaming with pride. “Will you help me?” 

“Of course,” Aaron nodded. Tashiko cleared her throat, letting them know she was still there. “I’ll give you two some quiet time while you get started on that. I’ll go for a walk.” Aaron looked at her and said, “Please be careful. Get back before the storm hits!” 

“I will,” Tashiko grinned, waving at him. 

* * *

Antonio and Jayden walked on the dirt path that led towards the BullZord Guardian’s home. Antonio had a face as his stomach rumbled in hunger. He didn’t eat breakfast and was starving. Apart from that, the silence between him and Jayden was slowly killing him. “It’s so relaxing,” Antonio began, breaking the silence. He took a deep breath smelling the area before smiling, “But not as relaxing as fishing.” He glanced at Jayden for a reaction but the Red ranger was lost in thought. Antonio’s smile disappeared and asked in concern. “Are you okay Jayden?” Jayden glanced at the Gold ranger and gave him a nod. Antonio sighed and glanced at the path ahead, hating and knowing Jayden wouldn’t say what was wrong with him.

Again. 

As they continued to walk, they didn’t notice that someone was following them. 

* * *

Master Xandred drank his medicine while he watched Octoroo walk around the ship. The Master of all Nighloks rubbed his head, feeling a headache forming and asked, “Where is Dayu?” 

Octoroo glanced up from a book he was reading and said, “Oh ah oh! Dayu ran away after you told her that you were going to kill Dekker. Who knows where she is right now.”

“Gah!” Master Xandred growled. “This medicine is not working!” He slammed the medicine plate onto the floor, shattering the porcelain. “I need Dayu’s music to sooth my headaches!” 

Serrator boarded the ship, overhearing the conversation and slyly said, “Master, let me help you bring Dayu back.” 

Xandred glanced at Serrator in interest and growled, “Bring her to me.” 

Serrator bowed. “As you wish my lord.” 

“Excuse me, but I have better things to do than to listen to empty promises,” grumbled a voice. The Nighloks turned to see a short, skinny Nighlok approaching them. He had a long yellow beak, with blue and green stripes covering his scaly body. He had a large broadsword strapped on his back and a nasty grin plastered in his face. “Master Xandred, please, let me into the mortal realm, where I shall rise the Sanzu River for you!” the Nighlok told him, with a bow. 

"Don’t just tell me!” Xandred roared, getting to his feet. “Show me!” 

The Nighlok quickly stood up and said, “As you wish Master!” With that, he walked out of the room and plunged into the Sanzu River. 

“I shall look for Dayu as well,” Serrator stated, making his way out the door. “I won’t accept failure Serrator,” Master Xandred warned the white haired Nighlok. Serrator stopped and side glanced at Master Xandred. “You insult me, Master,” he coldly replied before leaving towards the mortal realm. 

“I don’t trust that Serrator,” Octoroo growled after the white haired Nighlok was gone. “He’s a mysterious powerful Nighlok that appeared out of thin air. We should be careful around him.” “I don’t care,” Xandred simply snarled. “He’s helping us rise the Sanzu River and that’s all that matters.” 

* * *

A female Nighlok watched the Red ranger and the Gold ranger walk towards the Guardian’s house. She had orange markings on her face and spikes, looking like she was some clone of the Super Dino rangers. She had a long tongue, long tail and sharp nails. Her eyes were red and glowed brightly as she swiped her teeth with her tongue. “Rangers in sight,” she cackled. Another Nighlok appeared, one with silver wings and a staff and approached the Nighlok observing the rangers. “Why are you hiding here, Gyaru?” Hideo asked the female Nighlok who whipped around to glance at him. 

“Just spying on the rangers,” Gyaru grinned, swiping her tongue over her teeth once more. “What are you doing here, rookie?” 

“Serrator sent me,” Hideo simply stated. “The boss said that Master Xandred sent a Nighlok over here. He will be here soon.” 

“Can he be trusted?” Gyaru asked, her eyes flashing.

“He’s one of Xandred’s foot soldiers, he’s anything but trustworthy,” Hideo replied. “But, Serrator said he could be useful.” 

“He can keep the Rangers busy while we began Phase One of Serrator’s plan,” Gyaru stated. 

“Where are we going to start?” Hideo asked. 

“Don’t grow impatient, that’s my job,” Gyaru smirked, swiping her tongue over her teeth. She pointed at the distance, near the mountains, where a small cabin was located. “You see that small house over there?” Hideo gave a nod. “The Rangers are heading over there,” Gyaru informed. “That’s the place we are going to start.” 

Hideo narrowed his eyes and stated, “We must hurry then. Before the rangers get there first.” Gyaru gave a nod, disappearing through a gap. Hideo glanced at the crystal ball in his staff, seeing the image of Tashiko appear. He only closed his eyes and left through a gap, following Gyaru into the Netherworld.

* * *

The Red and Gold Rangers walked in silence. Antonio was growing uncomfortable and fidgeted in the quietness before saying, “What do you think the letter says?” Jayden shrugged unenthusiastically. Antonio sighed, raking a hand through his hair and stopped in his tracks. Jayden continued to walk before Antonio slyly grinned. He saw the letter hanging on Jayden’s back pocket of his jeans. Antonio slowly began to approach Jayden, silent as a cat before snatching the letter away.

“Hey!” Jayden called, trying to grab it back. Antonio dodged Jayden’s attempts to grab the letter, instead, running farther away from the Red ranger. 

“Let’s see, what the mystery holds!” Antonio sing songed as he tried to open the letter. The letter shook and gave the Gold ranger an electric shock. Antonio let out a yelp of alarm and dropped the letter. 

Jayden snatched it from the ground, chuckling, “That’s Ji’s seal alright. I know of it. Ji use to place that seal when he sent important letters. Of course I was seven when I tried to open one of those letters and got electrocuted.”

Antonio began to smile, seeing his friend smiling once more. Even though the small incident would leave his arm to hurt for a while. He decided to play along, pouting. “Great. Thanks for telling me I have a mind of a child!” 

“No,” Jayden continued to chuckle, placing a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “But you do have the curiosity of a cat.” Antonio sulked. “Not helping. Not helping at all.” Jayden laughed again. 

* * *

Tashiko went outside, smelling that rain was on its way. She walked around with her new black flats, splashing in the mud. She strolled in a slow pace, stopping to glance at the darkening sky. Tashiko frowned worriedly before closing her eyes. How she wanted to remember anything from her past! If she had a wish, she would have wished to have her memory back, so she could go back to her family! Even though she now thought Cody and Aaron as her new family, she wanted her real one. She had felt a horrible aching loneliness when she saw Cody smile at his dad proudly. How Aaron smiled back with such parental love, one that she wished she could have.

She wanted to go home.

Tashiko opened her eyes, feeling a few drops of rain fall upon her face, mixing with the tears that were trying to roll down her cheeks.

Tashiko began to hear voices in the distance, She turned around to see two figures in the distance. She grew alarmed, knowing that not a lot of people traveled down this particular road. She squinted her eyes, trying to make up who they were, when she heard thunder rumbling in the distance. 

* * *

Gyaru and Hideo appeared outside of the Cody’s house through a gap. 

“We can’t go through,” Hideo informed Gyaru who neared the house. “It has a barrier that expels Nighloks away.” 

“This house?” Gyaru snorted. “Crustor went through it with no problem.” 

“She is right,” stated another voice. The Nighloks turned around to glance at Serrator, who began to approach them. “This house has symbols yes, but they are too weak. It only keeps Moogers away but not Nighloks like us. That’s why Crustor could easily go through it.” Hideo glanced at the faint symbols around the house. “Now,” Serrator said slyly, snapping his fingers as a few Moogers appeared. “Shall we get started?”


	5. The Guardians Get Attacked

Cody and Aaron were beginning to work on Cody’s project, when they heard a crash outside. Cody glanced up in curiosity while Aaron tensed up. “What was that?” Cody asked. “Dad….?” Aaron had walked out of the study room and glanced out the window. His breath got stuck in his throat as he saw various Moogers and Nighloks surrounding the house. 

“Oh no,” Aaron breathed, backing away and ran back towards his son. “Cody!” The younger boy ran towards his father in alarm. 

“What’s happening dad?” Cody asked in alarm. “Get the ancient Morphers!” Aaron ordered, running towards another part of the house. Cody followed him confused and asked, “Why? What’s happening?” 

“Hurry!” Aaron snapped making Cody leave Aaron alone in the room. Aaron got out a sword, making him glance at his reflection.

Cody went to another room of the house, quickly knocking a few things off the shelf before finding a big paintbrush. He stuffed one of them in his pocket while he grabbed the sword his father had forged him a while back. He turned around and ran out of the room, only to find Serrator blocking his way. Cody gasped and stepped back in horror. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Serrator asked, a smirk escaping his lips. 

* * *

Jayden suddenly stopped laughing, causing Antonio to glance at him. Jayden was looking ahead, his face written in shock. Antonio followed his gaze to see a young woman standing a few feet away from them. She had raven hair that was tied into two pigtails that seemed to dance with the rhythm of the wind. Her hazel eyes seemed to glow in the faint light of the day and her lips were a rosy tint. Her flawless tan skin was radiantly beautiful and wore a black knee length flowing skirt with a pink blouse that showed part of her shoulder. 

“Wow,” Antonio breathed. “Is she an angel?” 

Jayden on the other hand, felt his heart racing in terror. 

_ "Jayden, don't leave me!" _ the young woman cried, tears slipping down her cheeks. " _Please, Jayden! I can't leave you here! I can't!"_

“Jayden?” Antonio called, shaking him out of thoughts. The Red ranger glanced at Antonio, fear evident in his eyes. “It’s her,” Jayden whispered. 

“Who?” Antonio asked confused.

"The girl, the one who escaped," Jayden stated, staring at the girl. 

Antonio glanced at the girl, realization hitting him like a rock. It was the girl Jayden kept talking about, the one who turned into a Purple Samurai Ranger. The one that was there when Master Xandred appeared in his dreams. “Jayden,” Antonio calmly began. “You’re probably getting her confused.” 

Jayden glanced at Antonio with a glare. “There you go again. Acting like I’m going crazy! Why can’t you just listen to me?!” 

“I’m not saying that,” Antonio replied. “I’m just saying, that logically, if she was the Purple Ranger, she would've already gone to the Shiba House and introduced herself." 

Jayden glanced back at the girl, before turning to Antonio. He knew she was the one, but he knew Antonio didn't understand. Of course, he would deny it. He didn’t see his team dying each time he closed his eyes. He was beginning to think that maybe he was seeing the future now. Maybe this girl, didn’t know she was a samurai yet. “I know it’s her,” Jayden insisted. “And nothing is going to change my mind.” 

“If she was, she would have recognized us and said, ‘Hey you must be Jayden and Antonio, the Red and Gold Rangers! Hey guess what? I’m the Purple Samurai!” Antonio waved his arms around, enhancing his sarcasm. He noticed that Jayden had ignored him and started to walk towards the girl. Antonio hit his forehead with the palm of his hand and followed the Red Ranger. 

* * *

Cody grabbed the sword tightly in his hands and got into a fighting position. Serrator chuckled at the young boy that was trying to defend himself. “Please, like if you could hurt me!” Aaron appeared, gasping when he saw his son facing off Serrator. 

“Cody!” 

Serrator smirked and side glanced at the older Guardian. “Oh look, good ol’ daddy is he-” He was cut short as Cody slashed at Serrator, making him stagger back. 

“Run Cody!” Aaron yelled, jumping in front of the Nighlok and slashed at Serrator. 

Cody ran out of the backdoor, causing Serrator to yell, “Get him!” 

Moogers rushed to find the youngest guardian while Serrator turned to find that Aaron was gone as well. Hideo and Gyaru rushed towards Serrator . “You two! Wait for the rangers! Keep look out for the other guardian!” He ordered them. “I’ll bring the guardian boy as bait.” The two Nighloks nodded before running out the door to find the oldest guardian. 

“Where do you think he went?” Gyaru asked, glancing around the area. She hated hide and seek games. 

“He could be anywhere,” Hideo replied. 

Cody ran as fast as he could before the Moogers caught up to him. He began to fight them, avoiding the slashes the Moogers threw at him. Serrator walked towards him, extending his claws. He watched as Cody knocked down the Moogers with his sword, before he was knocked down. Serrator thought the guardian was done but he got back up and fought back once more. 

_ I wonder how long you’ll last, Guardian _ , Serrator thought as he cackled quietly. 

Aaron was hidden behind some bushes, watching the Moogers pacing around his house. He observed that two Nighloks were glancing around cautiously, probably looking for him and his son. He noticed that Serrator was nowhere to be found. He mentally cursed before glancing into the forest. He didn’t know where his son went and that was gnawing at his stomach. Aaron knew Cody was his first priority and decided to go find him first. He ran towards the trail he assumed Cody took, hoping to find him first. 

Gyaru looked around, before hearing tree branches and leaves crunching and saw Aaron running through the forest. “There you are!” she growled, raising her hands and threw energy blasts at the guardian. Aaron saw the ground and his surroundings explode around him. He fell on his back and rolled in the ground. He struggled to stand; his body hurting and felt every inch of his body screaming in protest. 

Gyaru laughed as she approached the Guardian. “Nowhere to run, guardian.” Aaron glared at her from the ground as the female Nighlok stood in front of him. “I knew you weren’t going to last long,” Gyaru smirked. She grabbed him by the shirt and stared right into his brown eyes. “You don’t have protection like those Samurai Rangers, making it so much easier to take you out.” She slid her tongue across her teeth again, making Aaron glance at her in disgust. “I could kill you right now, but Serrator has ordered me to keep you alive.” She shot her tongue at the Guardian rendering him unconscious before she threw him over her shoulder. 

Cody felt the blade of the Moogers sword slash through his shoulder. He cried out in pain and collapsed into the ground. He grabbed his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers. _ Damn it _ ! he thought as he rolled on the ground into a kneeling position. He winced feeling a pulsing pain shoot through his arm.  _ I’m a Guardian! I should be standing up and not giving up! I need to be strong like the Samurai Rangers! _ Cody tried to stand but the pain shot through his arm once more. 

Serrator towered upon him, laughing. “It was about damn time guardian.” Cody collapsed into the ground, blood dripping into the ground. He was quickly losing blood and he was getting lightheaded. “What did you think you were?” Serrator mocked him. “A  _ Samurai Ranger _ ?” He grabbed the Guardian by the arm, making Cody cry out in agony before he was thrown against a tree, knocking him out cold. Serrator turned to the nearest Moogers and stated, “Carry him.” The Mooger obeyed grabbing the guardian as Serrator set his sights into the Guardian’s home. “Know that I have the bait,” Serrator smirked. “We wait for the Rangers to appear, ready to rescue them. Only for them to get squashed like the bugs they are.” 

* * *

Tashiko watched at the two people began to get too close for her comfort, only to recognize them immediately. It was them! It was the rangers she had dreamed! The Gold and Red Ranger!

Jayden wanted to know if she  _ really _ was the person he thought it was. Maybe she didn’t know she was a ranger yet, maybe she did.

The Red Ranger stopped in front of the raven haired girl who stared at him equally. Green eyes met the hazel ones, both of them never blinking. They both seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for either one to speak first. 

“Hi,” she spoke first. 

Jayden examined her, hearing the politeness in her voice but there was nervousness reflecting off her body language. He paused, trying to figure out what to say or ask her. He couldn’t just blurt out, “ _Hey are you the Purple Samurai Ranger I keep seeing in my dreams?_ ” Antonio thankfully arrived and waved at the girl. “Hello!” the Gold Ranger said. 

“Hi,” the girl waved back, still looking nervous.

“Sorry about my friend here,” the Gold Ranger replied, wrapping an arm around the Red Rangers neck. “He’s nervous, that’s all!”

The girl’s hazel eyes examined him before asking, “You must be Antonio right?” 

Antonio was caught off guard and said, “Yes I am. Antonio Garcia, at your service.” He bowed playfully, making her chuckle. 

“And you must be Jayden,” the girl turned to the Red Ranger who was broken from his thoughts. “It’s you,” Jayden whispered, causing the girl to glance at him confused and Antonio to shoot him a glare. 

“Excuse Jayden,” Antonio told the girl, scratching the back of his head nervously. “He’s been acting strange lately.” The Gold ranger elbowed the Red ranger. “Jayden. Snap out of it,” Antonio hissed quietly. 

“Sorry,” Jayden apologized, shaking his head. “I am Jayden Shiba.” 

“Nice to meet you,” the girl stated, bowing at them. “I think Aaron will be surprised to find you rangers around here.” 

“How do you know about us?” Jayden asked before mentally slapping himself. He knew Aaron must have talked to her about the Power Rangers. 

The girl paused before blushing and glanced away. “Um,” she fidgeted. Tashiko couldn’t tell them that she had dreams about them and how they all seemed to die. She would freak them out and think of her as weird. “Aaron told me about you and stuff,” she replied nervously. 

“I didn’t know Aaron had a daughter," Antonio stated, raising an eyebrow. 

Tashiko giggled at that. "Oh no, no. I'm not his daughter. I'm just...here for now." She glanced away, fidgeting on one foot and the other.  “Oh, I didn’t tell you my name! How embarrassing!” She blushed again and said, “My name is Tashiko.” She extended her hand which Jayden took. The strange pulse of energy he felt a couple of days ago intensified. He felt goosebumps erupt from his skin and the hairs on the back of his head stand up. Something about her made chills run up Jayden’s spine. He could tell that she had felt something too as she stared at him wide eyed. They released each other's hands quickly. The strange presence subsided leaving them staring at each other in confusion and awe. 

Antonio’s stomach rumbled all of the sudden making the Gold Ranger blush in embarrassment. Tashiko laughed and said, “You must be hungry from your trip. Let’s head back and maybe Aaron will cook something for you.” 

Antonio smiled back and stated, “That’ll be nice.” 

Tashiko smiled at him before walking in step with Antonio. They began to talk making Jayden glance at the rainclouds gathering in the distance. 

_ Tashiko….Who are you? Are you the one from my dreams? Are you the Purple Samurai? _

* * *

Gyaru threw the Guardian into the ground where a few Moogers were walking around. “I presume Serrator’s around,” she growled at the Moogers. 

“Indeed I am,” Serrator replied, appearing from deep within the forest. A Mooger followed him carrying the younger Guardian and threw him into the ground. “ Tie them real good, so they won’t escape,” Serrator ordered Hideo who waved his staff at them. Out of thin air, vines appeared and wrapped around the two guardians. 

“Now what?” Gyaru asked. 

“We wait,” Serrator replied, staring down the dirt trail. 

Tashiko smiled at the Gold Ranger, finding him rather fascinating and amusing. He knew how to make someone laugh and bring up their spirits back up. She led the two Rangers inside of the home before finding it extremely silent. “Hello?” she called, glancing around. “Aaron? Cody?” That was weird. Usually if the had to leave, they would leave a note saying they were gone. But there was no memo anywhere. “Cody? Where are you?” She felt panic and confusion enter her body. What if they ditched her? What if something happened to them? Tashiko sprinted across the house before entering the study room, the last place she saw them. She stopped at the door frame, seeing like a tornado had torn through the room.  _ Oh no!  _ she thought panicking.  _ Something must have happened. No. I’m just panicking and being superstitious. They’re strong. Maybe they just went to get firewood! _ Tashiko tried to calm her gnawing nerves before freezing. A shiver went up her spine, feeling something in the air.

The Red and Gold Rangers glanced at each other in confusion before feeling something eerie in the air. “Whoa, you feel that?” Jayden asked his best friend. Antonio gave a nod and narrowed his eyes. “I feel like something or someone is watching me.” 

“Let’s find Tashiko,” Jayden started, going down the hallway. They found the raven haired girl glancing inside of a room. 

“Whoa, what happened here?” Antonio asked, causing Tashiko to jump at his voice. She turned back to glance at the room and quietly said, “I thought they were in here, working on Cody’s project, but they aren’t in the house. They left a mess like, they were in a rush of leaving.” Tashiko glanced at the rangers, noticing that they were tense. “Is something wrong?” Jayden glanced at her.  _ I know you are the Purple Ranger _ , he thought.  _ Just morph and show us the real you! _ Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a sword mark embedded in the wall. The Red Ranger glanced around the room, noticing that this wasn’t a mess, it looked more like…

“This looks more like a struggle,” Jayden pointed out, examining the room. 

“You’re right, Jay,” Antonio nodded, touching the sword marks and made his way inside of the room. Jayden followed with Tashiko behind him. “Probably a struggle with a Nighlok,” Jayden concluded, noticing the burn marks on the floor. “Is that why, there’s an eerie feeling to the house?” Tashiko asked making the Rangers glance at her in surprise. “You feel it too?” Antonio asked surprised. Normally, a human with no practice to detect Nighlok wouldn’t feel it, but somehow she did. “Yes,” Tashiko nodded, glancing at the ground. “I felt it the moment I entered this room. I thought I was being superstitious.” Now, more than ever she was convinced that something bad had happened to Cody and Aaron.

She was terrified at the thought of that. They were her only family and for them to get hurt was something she didn’t want to think about.

Suddenly there was a clap, causing the Rangers to jump and turn around. “Well,” stated a voice. “Didn’t expect you rangers to be  _ inside _ of the house. You missed the welcome back party!” The Rangers and Tashiko faced the female Nighlok, Gyaru. Her tongue slid across her teeth in excitement. “I figure you loved the mess! There was a struggle fighting the Guardians! But in the end they lost!” She pouted making the Rangers clench their jaws. 

“Where are they?” Jayden growled, his green eyes flashing angrily. “They’re outside, right in the middle of the party,” Gyaru smirked before it disappeared. Her red eyes flashed and growled, “If you want them back, you have to get through me.” She grabbed a spike from her body, ripping it off her skin and automatically forged into a short katana. “Two rangers and a little girl for my little hunt. How fun." 

“Tashiko stay back!” Jayden ordered as he took out his Samuraizer. “Go, go Samurai!” he yelled, morphing into the Red ranger.

“Gold Power! Ha!” Antonio stated, morphing into the Gold ranger. Tashiko watched in awe at the transformed rangers.  _ It’s them! It’s really them! _

“Who should I get to first?” Gyaru chuckled, glancing between the two Rangers and Tashiko. “Minnie, minny, mo!” Gyaru shot towards Tashiko, whose eyes went wide in horror. 

“No you don’t!” Jayden growled, summoning his Fire Smasher, smacking it into the Nighlok. Tashiko took a few steps back and fled from the house. Gyaru coughed, clutching her stomach.

“Watch out Antonio,” Jayden warned. “This Nighlok’s name is Gyaru. She’s one of the few Nighloks that have a special skill.” “And that is…” Antonio inquired. 

“Her lengthy tongue is a long distance attack and causes paralyses the instant it hits your skin,” Jayden informed. “Avoid getting hit at all costs.” 

“Got it,” Antonio nodded.

“Pretty good Red ranger,” Gyaru stated glaring at the Red ranger. “Let’s see what you got!” Gyaru shot towards the Gold ranger, slashing at him. 


	6. Jayden vs Gyrayu

The other Rangers ran towards the Guardian’s home after the Gap Sensor went off. “Why are Nighlok and Moogers attacking Cody?” Emily asked as they ran.

“I don’t know,” Kevin replied. “But whatever they are up too, we will stop them.”

They neared the house, finding a raven haired girl running away from the house and into the forest. “Who was that?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow. Before anyone could answer, a window was shattered making the rangers cover themselves from the flying glass. They stared wide eyed as a Nighlok was thrown out from one of the windows of the house. 

Gyaru couldn’t believe it. She was losing the Samurai Rangers! That wasn’t tolerated to her. Gyaru growled in fury as the Red and Gold Ranger jumped out the window and landed on the ground. 

“Hey guys!” Antonio called, waving at the other rangers with the LightZord in his hand.

“Glad you could join us,” Jayden told them, smirking as he placed his Fire Smasher on his shoulder.

“Where are the Guardians?” the Red Ranger asked, his smirk disappearing as he glared at Gyaru. Gyaru smirked and rose to her feet. “You will never find the Guardians. They will be killed and it would be too late to rescue them!” She cackled maniacally before grabbing another spike from her body, forging it into another katana. She spun the two swords in her hands and got into a fighting stance.

Kevin clenched his jaw before turning to the Pink and Green Rangers. “You two,” he ordered. “Go find the Guardians. Emily and I will help Antonio and Jayden.” Mike and Mia nodded before they split up, taking different directions. “Go, go Samurai!” Kevin and Emily yelled, morphing into the Blue and Yellow rangers. 

Mia and Mike ran towards the forest, trying to find any sign where the Guardian's could be located. “Why do you think they’re in the forest?” Mia asked as she followed the Green ranger. Mike gave her a smirk. “Her eyes told me everything.”

“What?” Mia questioned, stopping as Mike glanced at her. “The Nighloks eyes told me where they were,” he repeated. “Her eyes kept darting into the forest. Her body language also looked like she was protecting the forest from us. That’s when it clicked and I knew the Nighlok was hiding them here. What else would she be protecting so fiercely?”

Mia blinked surprised before smiling. “Since when are you the smarts of the rangers?” Mike blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Oh gosh!” Mia gasped, acting in shock. “You’re turning into Kevin!”

Mike gaped at her in horror. “I don’t know what to be more insulted by; that you called me dumb or that you told me I’m turning into _Kevin_.”

Mia chuckled before she got serious. “Which way?” 

Mike glanced around, closing his eyes as he felt the forest around him. “This way,” Mike stated, opening his eyes and darted deeper into the forest. Mia followed him, glancing at the forest around her. She had the feeling that someone was watching her. "Mike, wait,” she told the Green Ranger who stopped. “What is it?” Mike asked.

“You hear that?” Mia asked, hearing the sound of crunching leaves and branches.

Suddenly there was roar as Moogers appeared, surrounding the two Rangers. “Great,” Mike muttered, taking out his Samuraizer.

“Ready?” Mia asked, getting out her Samuraizer as well. 

“Go, go Samurai!” 

* * *

Tashiko continued to run through the forest, not caring how the branches scraped her arms and face. Jayden had told her to stay back but she opted to run away from the scene. 

She couldn’t bare to watch them get hurt. 

Tashiko had felt fear when Gyaru had attacked her. She froze when she saw the Nighlok approach her, not even attempting to defend herself. She stopped, panting as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. After all the training she had with Cody, she froze. She couldn’t defend herself, Jayden had to come to her aid because she was too afraid to do anything. She just watched the Nighlok get closer to her. 

Tashiko sniffed, now more afraid than ever that Cody and Aaron were in danger. She wanted to help them badly, but if she couldn’t defend herself, how could she defend them? How could she repay them for the debt she owed them? Aaron had rescued her from the brink of death and Cody was so kind to her, despite being a complete stranger. She didn’t want to lose the precious people she was beginning to care about. 

She was broken from her thoughts when she tripped over a tree root and fell into the ground. She pushed herself from the floor, dusting the dirt off before she heard footsteps. Tashiko froze as she glanced around, trying to find something out of the ordinary. The footsteps got closer making Tashiko get behind a tree and hold her breath. Her eyes went wide in fear as she heard someone say, “I know you’re there.” Tashiko swallowed as the footsteps stopped. Her heart roared in her ears before bolting away from there. But before she could get far, she was grabbed by the waist. Her mouth was covered before she could scream for help. 

* * *

Gyaru blasted the rangers with energy blasts, sending them flying towards the ground. The Rangers tried to get to their feet, but Gyaru didn’t give them a chance. “Die!” She screamed, shooting more blasts at them. The Rangers screamed in anguish before collapsing into the ground, demorphing. Kevin tried to push himself off the ground, but his body screamed in protest. Emily lay on the ground, unmoving, too injured to move. Antonio got up on wobbly feet and walked towards the Blue Ranger, getting him to his feet. “Are you okay, _mi amigo_?” Antonio asked, grabbing his own shoulder. Kevin nodded, clutching his ribs. “Fine, are you?”

“Fine,” Antonio answered. 

Gyaru laughed at their effort of standing up and still wanting to fight against her. “You fools,” she cackled, as she saw the two Rangers stand in front of her. “You really want to die so soon?” She shot her tongue towards them, making the Rangers avoid the attack. Gyaru attacked again, her tongue touching Kevin’s leg, paralyzing the Blue ranger. He collapsed into the ground with a groan as Antonio yelled, “Kevin!” Gyaru shot her tongue out at the Gold Ranger, hitting him in the neck. The Gold Ranger touched his neck before collapsing into the ground, unmoving. Gyaru neared them, her two katana’s in her hands. 

Jayden groaned, his whole body hurting but knew he couldn’t just give up. He glanced around to see Kevin and Antonio on the ground unmoving with Gyaru approaching them with two katanas. He quickly got to his feet and ran towards the others. Jayden summoned his SpinSword and clipped the Black Box, morphing into Super Samurai Mode. 

“Die!” Gyaru yelled, raising her two katana’s to finish off the two injured Rangers.

“Super Samurai Mode!” Jayden yelled, shooting forward, blocking Gyaru’s attack on the two almost, unconscious rangers. “What!” Gyaru spat, seeing the red ranger still standing. “You think it would be that easy to take me down?” Jayden shouted, throwing Gyaru off his sword. “You will pay for what you did to my friends!” Gyaru smirked, her tongue passing over her teeth. “Please,” she snorted. “Don’t embarrass yourself Red ranger.” She shot forward towards him in blinding speed, duplicating herself. “Because you’re going to be the one that falls!” 

* * *

Mike and Mia had finished off the Moogers and were continuing their search in finding the Guardian’s. They both stopped at the edge of the forest, where it led to a grassy clearing. “Wait,” Mike told Mia, placing an arm in front of her. Mia glanced at Mike in worry, knowing that something was off. “Isn’t the forest a little too quiet to you?” Mike asked, glancing at Mia. “There’s usually birds chirping, but even that’s been silenced.”

“Yes, something about the whole forest seems off,” Mia replied.

“Well, I was expecting all six rangers here, but you two will do for now,” stated a voice. 

Mike and Mia spun around to find Serrator, leaning against a tree. “Serrator,” Mia and Mike growled, summoning their SpinSwords.

“Nah ah,” Serrator warned, raising his finger as he leaned off the tree. He pointed farther into the clearing, where a few Moogers were roaming the area. In the middle of those Moogers, were the two Guardian’s tied up. “No,” Mia whispered, her eyes going wide. “Make a move, and they die,” Serrator told them, with a sly smile. “Your move.” 

* * *

Jayden panted as his left arm hanged uselessly. “I need to thank you, Red Ranger,” Gyaru smirked, her tongue passing over her teeth. She glanced at her katana’s that were stained with Jayden’s blood. “Your blood will indeed be proved...useful.” She wiped the blood off her sword with her scaly finger as the duplicate summoned a small goblet. The duplicate raised it so the original could drop the blood into the cup. “I just needed a little of your rangers blood,” Gyaru said as the duplicate disappeared through a gap.

“Why?” Jayden asked, clenching his teeth.

“That’s a secret,” Gyaru smirked, charging towards the Red ranger once more. “One I’m not willing to share!” Her tongue shot towards the Red Ranger once more. What she didn’t expect was that the Red ranger catching her tongue. “Wha!” Gyaru stammered as Jayden struggled to avoid getting paralyzed. “I’m growing tired of your little tongue game,” the Red ranger stated, his body shaking in effort. “I think it’s time to get rid of it!”

“Wha! Nopm!” Gyaru cried. “Lion!” Jayden yelled as the Lion folding Zord was summoned. The Zord zoomed towards the Nighlok in a flaming ball, cutting Gyaru’s tongue off. “No!” she yelled, backing away. Jayden suddenly could move his arm again. 

Kevin, Antonio and Emily could move once again. They stirred as Gyaru roared angrily. “You’re gonna pay for that!” she roared, shooting towards the Red Ranger. 

* * *

Gyaru’s duplicate appeared at the shores of the Sanzu River. “Uragiri!” she yelled, glancing around. The goblet containing the Red rangers blood was in her hands. Where was that shape shifting wench?

The shape shifting Nighlok appeared out of thin air and stated, “Yes?”

“I don’t have a lot of time. I’m fighting the rangers. Here.” Gyaru offered Uragiri the goblet making the other female Nighlok snicker. “Well, well, you actually got it. You’re not useless after all,” Uragiri scoffed. “Take it Uragiri,” Gyaru told her. “Take it before the…!” The duplicate vanished in a puff of smoke, dropping the goblet. Uragiri caught it before it fell and swirled the red liquid inside. “Before what?” Uragiri asked. “They destroy you? They did it rather quickly.”

“The rangers won’t know what’s coming to them.” She shape-shifted into a young teenage girl around the age of seventeen. She was tall, with long brown hair and brown eyes. Her skin was a pale white and had an athletic body. Uragiri raised the goblet towards the sky. “With this blood, I shall get started with the plan Serrator has in mind.” 

**“Phase One: The Infiltrator.”**

* * *

Jayden watched the female Nighlok collapse into the ground, exploding. He breathed heavily, holding his injured arm but smiled at his victory. “It is finished,” he panted before opening his eyes wide as Gyaru grew Mega sized. “You aren’t finished with me!” she roared, towering over the rangers. Jayden glanced at the rangers who still seemed out of it. He knew he was alone in this fight and had to muster his remaining strength to beat the Mega sized Gyaru. He summoned the Megazord, disappearing into the giant mecha.

Emily stirred and blinked open her eyes, seeing the MegaZord in the distance. She let out a gasp, seeing that the Blue and Gold Rangers were still unconscious and knew Jayden was piloting the MegaZord alone. She knew that summoning the MegaZord and piloting it with only one ranger, took a large amount of energy that could practically almost kill them. She tried to get up but collapsed. Her body was protesting against her, wanting to keep laying down. Emily glanced at the MegaZord struggling against the Mega sized Gyaru. _I have to be strong!_ Emily thought, clenching her fists in anger. _I have to be strong!_ Her mind flashed back, of her memories of her sister, Serena. How her older sister told her to be strong, to be caring, to be the best Yellow Ranger she could be. They faded, instead, memories of the rangers replaced them. How they encouraged her, how they were becoming family, how they saw her as an amazing, strong, Yellow ranger. _I have to be strong! I have to be strong for my sister! For my friends!_ Her eyes snapped open and she got to her feet, taking out her Samuraizer. “Go, go Samurai!”

She morphed into the Yellow Ranger and disappeared, appearing inside of the Megazord.

Jayden was struggling against Gyaru, who was avoiding all of his attacks. He was about to collapse in exhaustion when he felt a surge of energy go through the MegaZord. A bright light covered the cockpit before it faded, revealing the Yellow Ranger, placing her spin sword into the cockpit. “I think you would use some help,” Emily smiled making Jayden smile as well. “Thanks Em,” Jayden told the Yellow ranger. Emily gave a nod, turning serious. “Ready?” Jayden gave a nod as Gyaru blasted them again.

The Megazord charged forward, avoiding the attacks.

* * *

Mia and Mike heard the MegaZord fight against the Mega sized Gyaru.

Serrator chuckled. “Well, well, isn’t Gyaru working up the Red and Yellow Rangers?”

“Mia, get the Guardian’s,” Mike told the Pink Ranger. “I’ll take care of him.”

“What?” Mia gasped, glancing at Mike in shock. “You can’t! He’s too powerful!”

“Go!” Mike shouted, summoning vines to attack Serrator. Mia knew she didn’t have a choice and fled the area to rescue the Guardians.

“You think some vines can stop me?!” Serrator snarled, jumping away from the vines that tried to grab him. Suddenly the Green Ranger appeared in front of the Nighlok. “No, but I can!” Mike shouted, slashing at the Nighlok. Serrator was thrown towards the ground before getting to his feet, extending his claws. “You’re going to pay for that, Green ranger!”

“Let me think about it,” Mike mocked. “Oh, wait. You won’t, because I will avoid every attack you throw at me!”

The Green ranger shot forward, converting his sword into his Forest Spear. 

* * *

Tashiko let herself go limp, making her attacker relax. She felt her attacker let her go before Tashiko spun around to find a Nighlok twice her size looking at her. He was colored green with silver like wings on his back. He was muscular and wielded a yellow staff with accented marks and a crystal ball that swirled blue and purple. Her eyes were wide in fear, falling to her butt in horror. She was about to scream but the Nighlok covered her mouth. “Scream, and I’ll kill you,” he stated in a cold voice. Tashiko swallowed and nodded in understanding. The Nighlok removed his scaly hand from her mouth, causing Tashiko to stare at him in terror.

He watched her hazel eyes dart around, looking for a way to escape. He mentally sighed. _I have to get this over with_ , he thought. _It’s too important for her not to know._ “Raikou-hime,” the Nighlok called the girl, catching her attention. The raven haired girl turned to look at the Nighlok. She had heard someone calling her that before, but her mind couldn’t grasp the memory. It was familiar and so, _welcoming_. “You remember someone calling you that, don’t you?” the Nighlok stated, approaching her cautiously. 

Tashiko slowly nodded. “It’s familiar, like if I heard it before. I don’t know what it means.”

_A blonde woman with green eyes and a warm smile flashed in her mind. "Raikou-hime."_

The Nighlok smiled and said, “Raikou-hime.” Tashiko stepped back in caution, her back hitting the tree behind her. “Don’t try anything funny,” Tashiko warned. The Nighlok took a step back. “I won’t. I promise.” Tashiko eyed him suspiciously. “How can I trust you?” she said defensively. “You’re a Nighlok. You just said, that if I screamed, you’ll kill me.” The Nighlok glanced at the ground ashamedly before bowing. “I’m sorry, Raikou-hime.”

Tashiko’s eyes went wide, gaping in shock.

Nighlok’s didn’t _apologize_. She remembered her lesson from Aaron about the Nighlok. They were selfish and ruthless creatures, that could not have feelings like humans; unless the Nighlok was half-human and Half-Nighlok. The way the Nighlok in front of her was exhibiting emotion, was making Tashiko think, that this Nighlok was…

“You’re Half-Nighlok,” Tashiko gasped in disbelief.

“Yes, I was once fully human,” the Nighlok nodded before hearing a noise.

In a blink of an eye, he appeared in front of her, covering her mouth once more. Tashiko’s hazel eyes once more flared in fear but the Nighlok stated, “We are both in danger if we are found out. I trust you, Raikou-hime with my secret.” Tashiko quickly nodded, knowing that she if she didn’t speak, she would be safe. But, seeing his yellow eyes, she somehow felt that she could trust this Nighlok, especially now knowing he was half-human. The Nighlok glanced around before looking into her hazel eyes. “I wanted to tell you something, but I’m afraid we wasted too much time,” he stated, glancing around the area. “I know a lot about you, Raikou-hime. More than you could ever think.” Tashiko stared at the Nighlok in shock.

How could a _Nighlok_ now so much about her? Was she secretly Half-Nighlok as well?

“I can tell you more about you than you could figure yourself out. Even with the rangers help,” the Nighlok continued. “How?” Tashiko asked, trembling. She didn’t know whether she was shaking out of fear or excitement of the unknown. The Nighlok placed a finger in his lips, indicating her to be silent. “I can only tell you little by little,” he stated.

Tashiko’s eyes ignited with excitement. This Nighlok knew about her, how she was before all this amnesia! She could finally figure out who she was! Her head was telling her it was wrong to trust a Nighlok, but her heart was telling her to trust the Nighlok. “Please, tell me something about me! I beg of you!” she pleaded. “Please, Nighlok!”

“Don’t call me Nighlok,” he replied. “I have a name you know? My name is Hideo.”

“And I’m Tashiko,” the raven haired girl replied.

“The clever child.” Hideo raised his staff, which began to glow. “Close your eyes, Raikou-hime,” he ordered. “Let your mind guide you, to the memory it wants you to see.”

The girl obeyed, closing her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest out of sheer excitement.

Suddenly she felt light headed and collapsed into the ground. Hideo glanced at the girl before turning away, leaving the young teen in the forest.

 _Only the memory that wants to reveal itself, would be revealed, Raikou-hime. Some will be painful, while some, you’ll cherish_ , he thought. _Until we meet again, Raikou-Hime._ Before disappearing in a puff of green smoke.


	7. Rescuing the Guardians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains an F-Bomb. TW: Panic Attack

Serrator flipped over the Green Ranger, grabbing him by the neck. He slammed the Green Ranger into the ground, winding him. The Green Ranger struggled with Serrator’s hand clamped around his throat. He felt the Nighlok's grasp tighten. “That was a sneaky move, Ranger, but not good enough to take me down,” Serrator chuckled, one of his eyes halfway closed. 

“I guess I'll have to try harder,” Mike smirked, grabbing Serrator’s hand and slamming his feet into the Nighlok’s chest. Serrator staggered back as Mike jumped to his feet, summoning his Forest Spear. He slashed at the Nighlok making Serrator avoid his attacks. “You think that will stop me!” Serrator yelled, extending his claws and slashed at the Green Ranger. Mike converted his Forest Spear back to a SpinSword and blocked the attack. 

Serrator vanished, making Mike glance around, his heart roaring in his ears. Suddenly the Nighlok appeared, kicking the Ranger in the stomach, making him double over. Serrator slammed his elbow into the Ranger's head, sending him spiraling to the ground. The helmet protected his head and only left him with the sting of the blow, but the Green Ranger wasn’t giving up. He backflipped, getting to his feet as he took out his SpinSword Disk and attached it to his sword. “Forest Vortex!” Mike yelled, spinning the disk as his sword glowed green with leaves swirling around the blade. He slashed at Serrator, sending him flying a couple feet back, but Serrator easily brushed the attack off. “Is that the best you can do?” Serrator mocked, narrowing his eyes. Mike felt beads of sweat drip down his forehead, not believing his eyes. Every attack he had thrown at the Nighlok didn’t keep him down. Serrator laughed at Mike who seemed frozen in the spot. “Tell me, Green ranger? Are you afraid?” he cackled, getting into a fighting stance. “Because that was just a warm up. Now, the real fighting begins.” 

* * *

Mia glanced over her shoulder, worried about Mike. She could only see the trees behind her and turned back around, biting her lip.  _ Hang on Mike _ ! she thought as she tightened the grip on her sword and rushed through the forest. Mia saw the Moogers distracted by the MegaZord fight and slashed at them, destroying them. Mia ran towards the Guardians, slashing at the rope that tied them together. 

“Mia!” Aaron said in relief as he was freed. “Thank you.” The Pink ranger placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m glad you two are okay.” Aaron nodded as he helped Cody to his feet, the nasty looking wound on his shoulder still bleeding. “Thank you,” Cody replied feverishly. His brown eyes looked glassy and he seemed dazed. “We need to take care of his injuries,” Aaron stated. “Is it safe to go back?” 

“I’m not sure,” Mia replied before the ground shook. They glanced to see the MegaZord looming close to them. They saw the MegaZord block Gyaru’s attack before slashing the Final Strike on her. The Nighlok screamed in agony as it fell down and exploded. The MegaZord dispersed before Mia glanced at the Guardian’s. “I’m assuming it’s safe to-”   


A scream drew shivers up their spine and they all got their guard up, only to see Serrator emerge from the forest. He looked pretty banged up but still not down for the count. “A little Green ranger told me, you would be here, Pink ranger,” Serrator cackled, dragging something behind him. 

Mia went pale and felt her body freeze up in fear. “Where’s Mike?” she immediately asked, her heart drumming in her chest. Serrator smirked. “Glad you asked.” He threw something towards them, landing near their feet making Mia’s brown eyes go wide in horror. 

* * *

Jayden and Emily darted through the forest despite wanting nothing more than collapse in exhaustion. “Where are they at?” Jayden ordered as they dashed through the undergrowth. “Mike’s Samuraizer signal indicates that he’s in the forest,” Emily replied, looking at her Samuraizer. She stopped, skidding the floor as she heard a scream echo the forest.

“What was that?” Jayden said, stopping beside the Yellow Ranger. He glanced at Emily, whose eyes were wide in horror. “Em?” he prompted her. “That sounded like Mike,” she whispered so softly that Jayden could barely hear. 

“What?” Jayden asked, puzzled. 

“That sounded like Mike,” Emily repeated, tears forming in her eyes. 

Jayden felt his heart drop and felt fear enter his body. 

* * *

Dekker had been roaming around the forest for days. He felt worthless without his sword Uramasa; he felt that he was incomplete without her. But he had given the sword to Serrator, so the Nighlok could fix his beautiful blade that had been disgracefully broken in half by the Red ranger. That had been a few weeks back and there had been no sign of Serrator with his sword fixed. Dekker was growing very impatient. He placed his hands above the fire, warming himself up. Dekker closed his eyes, embracing the peace before he heard the crunching of leaves. His eyes snapped open, grabbing his temporary sword and spun around. There was a clank of metal as his sword clashed with a short Danto. “Dayu,” Dekker growled, staring at her. “Dekker,” Dayu replied surprised.  “Why are you here?” Dekker said lowering his sword. Dayu lowered her sword as well and said, “I was walking around and saw a campfire. I thought it was the rangers.” 

“Well, you thought wrong,” Dekker replied, turning away from the Nighlok. Dayu placed her Danto away and glanced at Dekker. She watched him sit down and slowly approached him. “Serrator is taking too long with our items.” Dekker glanced up at her and lowly growled, “Uramasa is not an item. It is a very valuable sword.” Dayu gave a nod. “So is my harmonium. Serrator’s been taking too long in fixing them. I think it’s time we paid Serrator a visit.” 

“I agree,” Dekker replied. Dayu watched him turn back to the fire and glanced away in hurt.  _ How I wish Dekker could remember who he was _ , she thought sadly.  _ I have cursed us both; separated because Dekker lost his memory and cursed to roam the world with Uramasa trying to find a worthy opponent to fight to the death. I cursed to serve Master Xandred. _

“We should start looking for him at dawn,” Dekker declared. He gestured a seat near the campfire. “Want to join me?” Dayu felt her heart warm up and nodded. She sat with her beloved Dekker, thinking back when they were cursed. She hoped one day, that curse could be lifted, so she could live the life she was ripped away from. 

* * *

A teenager around the age of seventeen, with hazel eyes and brownish hair made her way towards a ferry booth. She sighed, slinging the backpack on her shoulder before taking out a letter. Thunder echoed around her and the girl shivered, glancing at the sky. She approached the booth, waiting in line and took the time to glance at the fishermen that were around and the people that were boarding the ferry. 

“Ma’am! Are you going to buy a ticket?” called the man behind the desk. 

“Oh! Yes!” the teen stated, rushing towards the desk. She took out her wallet as the blonde haired man behind the desk said, “Names Jason. How may I help you?” His blue eyes didn’t even look at her, instead focused on the computer. His hands balanced a pen he was messing with, looking like he rather be at home than working. The young teen rolled her eyes and put the money on the desk. “I need a ticket for a ferry to go to Panorama City.” The man typed on the old computer and said, “There’s a boat leaving in ten minutes. Do you want it ma’am?” The teen smiled and nodded. “Of course! The sooner I get to my destination, the better.” 

“Alright,” Jason said, his fingers on the keyboard. “What’s your name ma’am?” The girl remained still for a moment before saying, “Ami. Ami Takata.” 

* * *

Mia’s eyes glanced at the body in front of her. 

Mike's body.

“Shocked Pink ranger?” Serrator laughed, beginning to approach them. 

Aaron put Cody behind him and stood beside Mia, ready to fight if he had too. “You left him all alone, and right into my claws,” Serrator continued. Mia stared at Mike’s unmoving body, knowing Serrator was right. This was all her fault. She had left him by himself to try to defeat Serrator. If Jayden couldn’t keep up with Serrator, what chance did Mike have? She collapsed to her knees, defeated, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She was a fool in leaving the Green ranger by herself. If he was dead, she had no one to blame but herself. She was going to be shamed out of the Samurai Clan for letting one of her teammates die.

Serrator extended his claws and raised them, ready to strike on the Pink ranger. “Now, Pink ranger, any last words before I finish you off?”

Mia closed her eyes, letting a few tears slip down her cheeks. “Yes, I do,” she murmured, clenching her jaw. Her head snapped back open, her brown eyes flaming in anger. “Go fuck yourself.” Serrator flinched back at the insult before laughing. “Suit yourself!” He shot forward, claws extended as Mia summoned her Air Fan. “Air Wave!” she yelled, spinning around as she created a major airwave and knocked Serrator down.

* * *

Tashiko opened her eyes to find herself on the floor. She sat up, confused to why she was sleeping on the ground.  _ Did I pass out? _ she asked herself, touching her head. Tashiko remembered Hideo telling her to close her eyes, saying he was going to give her something. She crossed her arms and pouted. The only thing she received from the Nighlok was unconsciousness. Tashiko decided to get to her feet, shaking off the twigs from her hair. 

Suddenly she felt something dangle around her neck. She paused, remembering that didn’t have necklace on before. She grabbed it, opening her hand to reveal a golden heart shaped locket. Tashiko stared at it, thinking. It looked familiar but she couldn’t place where she had seen it. She opened it, suprised to find an engraved message instead of a picture. She was even more surprised at the engraving:  _ To my Raikou-Hime _ . Tashiko blinked several times, her heart pounding in her chest. What did this mean? Did she have a boyfriend? Who was her boyfriend?

Tashiko blushed and thought to herself, _ Hideo wasn’t lying about giving me something to remember about my past _ . Her smile vanished when she heard a scream. Her eyes went wide in fear and quickly turned around, only to see a shrunken shooting towards her. Tashiko yelped in alarm as she dived to the floor, a few strands of her hair getting cut off. She was about to sit up when the shrunken bounced back from the tree, threatening her to hit her again. Tashiko glanced up when she saw a hand catch the shrunken. She watched as a blonde haired teen, around the age of seventeen, stepped out from behind some bushes, her brown eyes glancing around in alarm. Her eyes fell on Tashiko, the latter looking at her in alarm as well. The blonde girl’s brown eyes suddenly opened wide and gasped, “I’m so sorry! I almost hit you!” Tashiko opened her other eye before noticing that this girl, was  _ familiar. _

_ Yes! _ Tashiko thought as the blonde girl approached her, blushing in embarrassment.  _ I believe her name was Emily. She’s the Yellow Ranger, the one who appears in my dreams wielding a large shrunken. _

“Em!” came a shout. The Yellow Ranger turned around, seeing Jayden running towards her. “Tashiko?” Jayden questioned. “Wha-Are you okay?” He neared the raven haired girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. He checked her over for any injury but found none. “You mean before or after my head almost go cut off?” Tashiko asked. 

“What?” Jayden asked, wide eyed and glanced at Emily who blushed bright red in embarrassment. Jayden helped Tashiko to her feet and said, “Sorry about that. This is Emily.” 

“Hi,” Emily mumbled. “Sorry about almost cutting your head off.” 

“It’s fine,” Tashiko waved it off. “Just don’t do it again.” They both chuckled nervously before stopping glancing at the forest. “You hear that?” Tashiko suddenly stated. “Yeah,” Emily replied, hearing a faint scream. A gasp escaped her lips. “Mike!”

“Mike?” Tashiko echoed, hearing that name before. “It’s our Green Ranger,” Jayden informed her before turning to Emily. “Are you sure that’s Mike?” 

“Yes!” Emily cried, beginning to sob. “Something must have happened to him!” 

“We must stay calm Em,” Jayden assured her. 

“How can you stay calm when you’re hearing your closest friend screaming in pain!” Emily screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. Tashiko looked at both of them, switching her view from Jayden to Emily and vise versa. Suddenly, her mind flashed back, seeing them, much older and battle ridden. They were arguing but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Tashiko’s mind flashed back to the present and she touched her head wavering, feeling faint.  _ What was that? _ she thought.  _ Was that a vision? A memory? Why did that look so familiar? _

“Em!” The shout made Tashiko snap out of her thoughts and look just in time as Emily collapsed into the ground, clutching her chest. Her hazel eyes went wide and rushed towards the Yellow Ranger. “What happened?” she asked Jayden who was shaking Emily. “Em! Em! Snap out of it!”

"Don't shake her!" Tashiko stated, prying the Red Rangers hand's off the Yellow Ranger. "Emily, breathe. Breathe with me." 

Emily stared at her, nodding frantically as she took in deep breaths. "What's happening?" Jayden questioned.

"She's having a panic attack," Tashiko told him. Turning to Emily, she took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Follow me Emily. You're okay. Breathe."

Jayden glanced around the area, biting his lower lip. He was worried about the others, but didn't know where they were. "Go." 

Jayden turned to Tashiko, who was concentrating on Emily. "What?" 

"You go find the others, I'll help Emily," Tashiko told him. 

Jayden looked at her, grateful for her help. He nodded and rose to his feet. “You should get out of the forest as soon as you can,” Jayden ordered her. “We don’t know if there’s more Nighloks around.” Tashiko gave a nod before seeing something past Jayden’s shoulder. It was Hideo! The green and silver Nighlok was watching her from behind a tree. He gave her a nod before disappearing from sight. “Tashiko?” Jayden asked, glancing behind him, but no one was there. “Right,” Tashiko nodded, glancing at Jayden. The Red Ranger took out his Samuraizer, gave a nod to Tashiko before disappearing into the forest. 

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the raven haired girl helping Emily through her panic attack.  _ I know you can take care of yourself, Purple Ranger. It’s only a matter of time, you’ll show your true colors. _

* * *

Mia panted as she struggled to get to her feet. Her legs wobbled as she raised her sword once more against Serrator. The Nighlok seemed unfazed by her attacks, even mocking her for her futile attacks. “Is that all what you got Pink ranger?” Serrator grinned, extending his claws once more. 

“Mia, please, just stop,” Aaron pleaded her, knowing that if the Pink ranger continued the fight, she would die. 

“I won’t… stop,” Mia shot back. 

“Suit yourself,” Serrator smirked, shooting towards the Pink ranger. 

Suddenly a burst of magic appeared in the middle of Serrator and Mia’s clash. Vines tied both of them up, making them immobile from hurting each other.

“What is this?” Serrator snarled, trying to move. Out of the smoke, Hideo appeared making Serrator glare at him. “What are you doing Hideo?” 

“Sorry to interrupt your personal vendetta, but I just got word that Dayu has been sighted,” Hideo informed. “More interestingly, she and Dekker want to talk to you.” Serrator growled angrily before saying, “Free me.” Hideo waved his staff, freeing Serrator before the Nighlok glared at the Pink ranger. “I’ll be back, Pink ranger. This isn’t over yet.”

With that, the two Nighloks disappeared through a gap. The vines around Mia dispersed causing her to fall into the ground painfully. Aaron rushed to her aid where Mia could only sob, seeing Mike’s state. “I shouldn’t have left him alone,” Mia sobbed. “He’s probably dead!” Aaron squeezed her shoulder and rushed towards the Green Ranger. He placed his fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. "He's still alive," Aaron informed her. Mia glanced at the ground, her tears spilling down into the dirt ground. She didn’t know wether to be happy, relieved or guilty.  _ Will he ever forgive me for leaving him alone with Serrator? _ she thought.

Jayden rushed through the forest, trying to call anyone but no one seemed to answer their Samuraizers.  _ Dammit! _ he thought. He flipped open the phone once more, fiddling with it. He remembered what Antonio had taught him about putting a code that would trace another Samuraizer's. “Yes!” Jayden said relieved when his phone locked in Mike’s location. “Thank you Antonio!” He rushed through the forest before skidding to a stop, seeing Mia kneeled down, Cody beside her and Aaron hovering over Mike's body. 

_ Oh no.  _


	8. Emily's Anger

After Emily had calmed down from her panic attack, both girls left the forest. Tashiko was holding Emily's hand, squeezing it when Emily's breath hitched. Tashiko led them outside of the forest, where they caught sight of a young dark skinned man with Antonio. “Antonio?” Tashiko called out confused, making the Gold ranger turn around to glance at her. He rushed towards her, followed by the dark skinned man. “Tashiko? What are you- Emily?” Antonio stated confused.

“I ran into the forest when the Nighloks attacked,” Tashiko informed him. “I think I passed out, then Emily almost tried to cut my head off. Then she had a panic attack and Jayden left me alone with Emily to find the others.” Tashiko rushed out. “Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Antonio told her. Tashiko looked like she was about to break down. Too much had happened in the last few hours and Antonio couldn’t blame her for wanting to throw in the rag.

"Emily are you okay?" Kevin asked the Yellow Ranger, who shook her head, bursting into tears. The Blue Ranger took her into his arms, hugging her as she wept into his shoulder. 

“Do you think the house is safe know?” Antonio asked the Blue ranger. “One way to find out,” Kevin answered, walking towards the Guardian’s house. “What about the others?” Antonio protested. “What if they need our help?”

“It won’t take us long to respond if they do,” Kevin assured. “Besides, the girls need to calm down.” 

Antonio glanced at Tashiko who was hugging herself, trying not to cry. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, making glance up at him. “C’mon. Let’s make some tea.” 

* * *

Ami stepped foot into the city and glanced around the area. “Hello, Panorama City,” she breathed. Ami swung her backpack on her shoulder and walked down the Marina. She walked around before seeing a park. She saw an unoccupied bench and sat down. Ami glanced at the almost setting sun and sighed, knowing she had to find what she came looking for. She closed her brown eyes, enjoying the sunlight against her skin before hearing a scream, “UNCLE BULK!”

Ami’s eyes snapped open in annoyance and glanced over her shoulder to see a young teen and a bulky man standing a few feet away from her. “Uncle Bulk!” Spike screamed, jumping up and down in excitement. He waved a newspaper in front of his uncle, pointing at the front page. “It’s the pretty lady that sang in the concert!” Ami caught sight of the front page that showed Mia and Antonio singing in the charity concert. “She’s so pretty!” Spike said dreamily, hugging the newspaper. Uncle Bulk sighed and rolled his eyes, “Just like your father.”

“I wonder if the Pink Ranger is this pretty!” Spike continued with a goofy grin. Ami clenched her fist and got to her feet. She grabbed her backpack and walked towards the uncle and nephew, putting her best smile. “Excuse me,” she said politely. “Can I see that newspaper?” 

Spike and Bulk glanced at the stranger. Spike clutched the newspaper tighter glaring at Ami but his Uncle Bulk glanced at him. “A samurai is always nice to people and helps them when they ask for something,” Bulk mentioned making Spike’s eyes bright up. “Right!” Spike nodded. “Here!” He handed Ami the newspaper. “You can keep it if you want too.” _I hope she doesn’t_ , Spike added mentally. That was the last newspaper he had found with Mia as the cover. Ami smiled at him and thanked him before glancing at the newspaper. _Antonio Garcia, Gold Ranger and Mia Wanatabe, Pink Ranger_ . She looked at Spike who was smiling at her. _This kid has the answer but is dumb enough not to figure it out._

Ami traced her finger along Mia’s picture and clenched her jaw. She handed Spike the newspaper and stated, “Thanks dear.” She turned away hearing him exclaim, “You’re welcome!” Ami flashed the teen a smile before walking away. _Next stop, the Shiba House_. 

* * *

**Location: Japan**

Serrator walked beside Hideo, who was leading him to where Dekker and Dayu had asked him to meet. He knew what they wanted but he couldn’t comply to their desires. 

At least not yet. 

Hideo side glanced at Serrator, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. He thought back to Tashiko, whom he knocked out to place the necklace around her neck. Hideo knew it was going to be a slow progress, but Tashiko would soon have her memories back. He glanced at the crystal ball on top of his staff and narrowed his eyes. But she couldn’t have all her memory back; that would ruin his plans. She couldn’t show her true self until the time was right. 

Hideo knew that Tashiko was very intelligent, figuring out he was Half-Nighlok, despite that her memory was lost. He closed his eyes, recalling those faint memories that seemed to have happened a lifetime ago. He knew there was a chance that those memories could forever fade away, as those memories could or could not exist in the new future. 

Suddenly a faint memory sparked into his mind, remembering the first time he turned into a Nighlok. Regret filled his limbs, remembering the horror stricken face of his loved one. He didn’t chose this life for the power, or the immortality. He did it out of love; to save the person he truly loved. He remembered her tears of joy when she told him she was pregnant. They were finally going to have a child together, despite their own given age. Their families were disappointed in them, but Hideo and his love didn’t care. They were happy and that’s all that mattered. Then a Nighlok attacked them, almost killing his fiancè and killing the baby she was carrying. His fiancè went into a deep depression, mourning over the loss of their child. 

Months later, Hideo and his fiancè were walking by the park before the same Nighlok that attacked her, attacked them. The Nighlok had killed her and to save her, he had to become a Nighlok. At first, there weren't noticeable changes but over time, his Nighlok half was beginning to take over his human half. 

Everything had turned out fine, until the moment his Nighlok half took over him completely. He remembered her screaming out of fear and sadness, watching him as he turned into the monster he feared into becoming. It broke his heart completely every time he remembered that moment. 

Hideo knew that his heart was still human, despite his physical appearance of a Nighlok. Before long, he attacked his own finacè, who was in the dark over trading his life to save hers. He completely became a Nighlok and was forced to leave his house and his fiancé behind.

Hideo knew he was still human, having feelings that no Nighlok could have. He clutched his staff tightly remembering his long dead fiancé. 

He snapped out of his trance when he heard Serrator clear his throat. “Dekker, Dayu,” Serrator stated, glancing at the two Nighlok that were in front of him. “Serrator,” Dayu slyly replied, stepping forward. “Where is Uramasa and my harmonium?”

“Patience,” Serrator replied calmly. “Patience?” Dekker echoed. “We’ve been waiting for a month now and you still haven’t given us our items.”

“You’re right,” Serrator stated. “But you need patience. I’ve been working on your Uramasa and Harmonium, but they still need time.”

“Three weeks,” Dekker growled, showing him three fingers. “I give you three weeks. If you don’t fix Uramasa by then, I will come after you.” Dayu nodded in agreement before both Nighloks disappeared through a gap. 

Serrator let out a low growl and disappeared through a gap as well. Hideo sighed, seeing that he was left alone. He glanced at his glowing crystal ball and said, “Dayu doesn’t realize how lucky she is. How I would give my soul to the Nighloks once more time to see my fiancé alive again.” 

* * *

_Shakily, she got on her hands and knees before noticing the blood seeping through the dirt. She slowly glanced to her left, finding the Yellow Ranger beside her. “Emily,” she gasped, the puddle around the ranger growing bigger by the minute. She grabbed Emily, shaking her, trying to wake her. But she could see Emily’s dull, lifeless chocolate brown eyes, looking at the crimson red sky._

_It was too late._

_“No!” she breathed in horror, backing away from the Yellow Ranger. She looked at her hands, which were tainted red with Emily’s blood. Panic surged through her limbs as she quickly got to her feet, tears streaming down her face. “No, this can’t be the end…”_

_She heard a yell and spun around to see Jayden fighting Master Xandred. “Hurry!” he yelled at her, clashing his sword against Master Xandred’s broadsword. “Run!” She shook her head and screamed, “I can’t! I can’t leave you here!” She saw him throw off Master Xandred and stared at her, sadness in his eyes. Her eyes locked into his green orbs and his battle scarred face. Despite the horror they were witnessing, he gave her a smile. “You have too,” Jayden told her. “It’s your destiny.” She began to sob uncontrollably, knowing he was bidding his goodbyes to her. “Remember, you will always be in my heart.” Jayden turned back to Xandred who was approaching him. “Go, it’s my destiny to finish this. My destiny to die an honorable death.” “No!” she screamed as Jayden jumped into the fight once more._

_She casted the symbol, a bright light covering the area. She turned back to glance at Jayden, only to witness Master Xandred drive his sword into his heart. S_ _he felt that her heart was ripped out of her chest and she screamed in anguish._

 _“Jayden!”_ _  
_

* * *

Tashiko gasped awake, sweat dripping down her forehead. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and threw a fist, which was caught by Antonio. The Gold Ranger was looking at her in worry. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

"I'm fine," Tashiko shakily replied. She raked a hand through her raven hair, noticing that her twin tails had come undone. 

"Are you sure?" Antonio insisted. 

“Yeah, just a bad dream,” Tashiko whispered before blushing, seeing how the Gold ranger was worried about her. She noticed from the corner of her eye Aaron tending to Kevin’s wounds.

“Aaron!” she gasped, jumping out of the couch and rushed towards the Guardian. She hugged him tightly, happy tears slipping down her cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Tashiko! You’re awake!” Cody exclaimed, rushing towards her into a hug as well. Aaron hugged them both and said, “I’m glad you too made it okay. I was worried.” Tashiko wiped her tears away and said, “Is everyone okay?” She glanced at the Blue ranger who was looking at her with a grim look. 

“Mostly everyone made it. One of the rangers was deeply injured," Aaron informed her. 

Tashiko gasped and felt worry gnaw her. Was her dream, not really a dream but a reality? “Who’s the one injured?” Tashiko asked. “Our Green ranger,” the dark skinned man answered. “Serrator really did a number on him.”

Tashiko mentally sighed in relief, thinking that Jayden was the one injured. “Ouch,” hissed the dark skinned man as Aaron continued to rub his injuries with alcohol. “I know this hurts Kevin, but we can’t risk you getting any infections.” Kevin winced once more.

“Squeeze my hand when it hurts, maybe that will help,” Tashiko extended her hand towards his. “My mom always told me to hold her hand when she was tending my scrapes.” Kevin examined her curiously before she took his hand and placed it on hers. Instantly, Kevin felt a calm aura enter his body and could feel the power the young girl had, power that she probably didn’t know she even had.

“Hey why couldn’t you hold my hand when I was getting tended,” Cody pouted. “You don’t have to hide your pain,” Tashiko stuck out her tongue. “Tashiko is right,” Aaron nodded. “You were very brave when I tended to your injuries and when you fought against Serrator. I couldn’t be more proud.” Cody beamed at his compliment before Aaron stated, “Well, looks like you’re all set.” Tashiko let go of the Blue ranger’s hand and said, “See? It made you feel better!” She smiled at him making Kevin smile as well. _This girl. She doesn’t know the power she has inside._ Kevin flexed his hand, wondering why he felt so calm when he held her hand. _Is that her power?_

Tashiko walked away from them, with Cody beside her. They stopped when they overheard the Gold and Red Rangers talking. Cody pulled her behind a counter top and placed a finger on his lips, telling her to be silent. They peeked around, seeing the Gold ranger leaning against the window frame with the Red Ranger behind him. “The Nighlok are getting even more stronger,” Jayden told Antonio. “I know,” Antonio grimly replied. “How’s Mike?” Jayden went silent for a moment before saying, “He’s not in good condition. He’s pretty bad, Ant.”

“What about Mia?” Antonio asked, turning around to glance at the Red Ranger. “She’s been at his side,” Jayden sighed, crossing his arms. “She’s blaming herself for the incident.”

“It’s not her fault,” Antonio sighed, glancing away. “She had no choice. If only Kevin and I weren’t paralyzed and out of it, we could have avoided this situation.”

“Hey, don’t start blaming yourself as well,” Jayden began, glaring at his best friend.

Cody felt guilt enter his body. If he and his father hadn’t been caught, the Green Ranger wouldn’t be injured. “Who’s the Green ranger?” Tashiko asked quietly, looking at Cody. He waved her over and they walked down the hallway, towards the guest room. Cody quietly opened the door and found the Pink Ranger sleeping on the desk while the Green Ranger laid in bed. IV’s, wires and tubes were attached to him, looking like had seen better days. Tashiko’s eyes went wide seeing the ranger in bed like that and said, “This….Serrator did all that to him?” Cody gave her a nod. Tashiko approached the man laid in the bed and looked at him.

Cody heard his name being called and told Tashiko, “I’ll be back!” He disappeared making Tashiko glance back at the Green Ranger. She could sense something from the Green Ranger and reached out to touch his face. She began to hear whispers, her fingertips almost touching Mike's cheek when a voice said, “Who are you?”

Tashiko nearly jumped out of skin and glanced at Mia who was glaring at her. “Who are you?” she repeated. “I-I’m,” Tashiko stammered, her hazel eyes wide at the coldness radiating from the woman before her. “I-I…”

“Mike!” came a shout, followed by the pit pat of someone’s footsteps. The door was slammed open, revealing a distraught Emily. Her injuries had been tended too from the looks of it. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide in shock as she stared at the man in the bed. “Mike,” she whispered, not believing what she was seeing in front of her. The other woman gasped and glanced at the blonde. “Emily?” There were more footsteps as Jayden, Kevin and Antonio appeared behind Emily. 

A few tears escaped her eyes as Emily asked, “What happened to Mike? Why...why is he injured like that?” Mia casted her glance towards the ground, not meeting Emily’s eyes. “What happened to Mike?” Emily asked louder, glancing at the rangers. “What happened? Why is nobody answering me?!”

“It’s my fault,” Mia stated, making Emily turn around and glare at her. “What?” Emily growled. “Mia,” Kevin began, trying to stop the Pink Ranger. “Kevin, please, stay out of this,” Mia answered the Blue Ranger, tears streaming down her face. She glanced at Emily and said, “It’s my fault. I left him to fight Serrator by himself, while I went to rescue the Guardian’s. He told me to rescue them and that he could fight off Serrator.” 

“And you believed him?” Emily gasped, shaking her head. “You know how hot headed he is.”

“He told me to go!” Mia protested. “It was either staying behind with Mike, or letting them kill the Guardians!”

“We are a team, we are supposed to stick together!” Emily screamed at her. “You could have taken the Moogers and Serrator down together! Instead, you left Mike in danger and now look at him!”

“He knew he was going to end up hurt!” Mia shouted back. “He sacrificed himself for Cody and his father!”

“Shut up! You’re talking like if he were dead!” Emily screamed. “This is your fault that he is like this!”

“Emily,” Kevin warned, seeing that Emily was taking it too far.

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” Emily snarled, glaring at Kevin. “I don’t want anyone to calm me down! I want Mike to be here, talking to us, only with a few bruises! Not fighting life or death!” Emily shook in anger as Mia let out a few sobs. “I’m sorry,” Mia whispered. “Sorry won’t help Mi-!” Emily cried.

“That is enough!” Jayden snarled, interrupting the two women. Everyone went silent and looked at the Red ranger. “Emily get out of the room.”

“I came here to see Mike!” Emily protested. “OUT,” Jayden repeated, pointing at the door. Emily bit her lip before rushing out of the room. “Mia, you too,” Jayden ordered. “But,” Mia began. “OUT,” Jayden growled. “I want you and Emily to sort your problems out. You’re forbidden to step foot in this room until you two settle down your differences. Do you understand?” Mia nodded before glancing at the ground in shame and left the room.

Tashiko swallowed, never seeing Jayden so angry before, not even in her dreams. Antonio patted Jayden’s back before they both left the room, followed by Kevin. She was the last to leave the room, glancing at Mike one last time before leaving as well.


	9. Raikou-Hime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains swearing.

Tashiko laid in her bed, glancing at the ceiling, wondering about her dream. It had felt so real. Almost like, if she had witnessed that situation. Tashiko grabbed the necklace around her neck and stared at it. An involuntary smile appeared on her face and wrapped her fingers around the golden lock. She heard a knock and told them to enter. She sat up just as Cody walked in. “Hey Tashiko! Want some company?” Cody asked, walking towards her and sitting on her bed. “Sure,” Tashiko smiled before her eyes lit up. “I forgot to tell you what happened earlier today!” She began to bounce in excitement making Cody cock his head at her and asked, “What is it?” Tashiko rushed towards the door and locked it before sitting back down on her bed. She took Cody’s hand and turned serious. “I want you to swear, that you won’t tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_!” Cody blinked a few times, confused. He was beginning to worry Tashiko had gotten in trouble but still nodded. “I swear” 

Tashiko took off her golden lock and showed it to Cody. “Read it!” Cody took it and looked over the necklace. _“To my Raikou-Hime_ ,” Cody read. “That means _Lightning Princess_. Where did you get this?” 

Tashiko began to grow nervous and rubbed her hands together. “Does it really matter? I mean look at it! The person who gave it to me, told me someone had given it to me before I lost my memory! Isn’t it amazing! It’s one step closer to figuring out I am!” Cody passed his fingers over the smooth rock and stated, “This stone is only found here in Panorama City, meaning you live here.” He glanced at Tashiko and said, “But there’s a chance that whoever gave it to you, could be a fraud, maybe even a lie.” 

“No! I believe him!” Tashiko insisted. “Tashiko, do you even know the person who gave it to you?” Cody asked. Tashiko glanced away. “A Nighlok gave it to me.”

“What?!” Cody gasped, standing up. “Not like that!” Tashiko quickly stated, waving her hands in front of her. “I mean…” She sighed and hugged herself. “He said he was going to show me who I was before I lost my memory. He’s the one that gave me the locket.” Cody slowly shook his head. “And you believed a Nighlok?”

“Yes,” Tashiko replied. “I know it’s wrong, but something deep in my gut tells me, that he’s telling the truth.” 

Cody shook his head and started to pace around the room. “No Tashiko! You can’t trust the Nighlok. Do you know how dangerous it is to communicate with a Nighlok? You can be in danger! You can place someone in danger!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Tashiko snapped, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I just want answers Cody! I want to be myself! I want to know who I really am! If that Nighlok is going to provide the answers then so be it!”

“I believe this Nighlok!” Tashiko continued. “Why don’t you trust me?!”

“You’re wrong about them!” Cody stated and pointed at his shoulder. “Look at what Serrator did to me! To the Green Ranger! To all the other Rangers! They’re ruthless, dangerous and not trustworthy!” Tashiko looked at the ground in shame, knowing he was partially right. 

Cody turned back around and whispered, “You shouldn’t talk to that Nighlok. Nighlok’s can’t be trusted, not now, not ever.”

“I don’t care,” Tashiko said getting to her feet. “I believe whom I want to believe. I don’t care if you don’t want me to believe in that Nighlok. I will follow my gut. No one, not even you, will change my mind.” She stormed out of her room angrily. “Tashiko, stop being stubborn! I just want you to be safe!” Cody shouted but Tashiko had already left the room. 

Cody sat back down on Tashiko’s bed with a sigh, raking his hand through his hair. 

* * *

“Sadly, I don’t have enough rooms in the house for everyone,” Aaron apologized as he brought some spare blankets and pillows. “It’s alright, Aaron,” Jayden told him with a small smile.

“The girls can take the rooms,” Kevin suggested. “We can sleep in the living room.”

“I call dibs on the couch!” Antonio stated, raising his hand.

“We should take shifts in watching Mike,” Kevin told Jayden. “Just in case something happens or he wakes up.”

“I’ll take the first shift,” Aaron suggested but Jayden declined. “I belie-”

“I will,” interrupted a voice. 

They turned to see Cody walking towards them. “Are you sure?” Aaron asked his son. “It’s a big responsibility.”

“No worries, I took care of Tashiko,” Cody smiled. “I don’t believe Mike will be that much trouble as her.” Aaron ruffled his son’s hair. “I’ll be in the room with you then.”

“You should rest Aaron. You’ve tended our injuries and apart from that, you tended to Mike,” Jayden pointed out. “He should rest in Mike’s room,” Antonio stated. “He could sleep while Cody watches.” 

Aaron sighed, knowing he couldn’t win with everyone agreeing and ultimately agreed as well. “If anything happens, wake me up,” he told his son as they made their way towards Mike’s room. “I will father,” Cody replied. 

The Rangers watched them leave before Antonio rubbed his shoulder. “Man that female Nighlok could have pulled back the hits a bit.” Kevin chuckled. “I know, the injuries hurt,” he replied touching his own before noticing he wasn’t feeling that much pain. He found that odd, knowing that earlier his injuries were so bad, he could barely move before wincing. But know… 

He remembered the girl, Tashiko holding his hand and how all the pain seemed to ebb away. He felt calm and relaxed. Kevin also noted the symbol power flowing out from her. “What’s in your mind Kevin?” Jayden asked, noticing the Blue ranger was looking thoughtful. Antonio was already laid in the couch, snoring away. Kevin rolled his eyes at the Gold Ranger before glancing at Jayden. 

“The girl, Tashiko, the one that lives here with the Guardian’s, who is she?” _The Purple Ranger_ , Jayden thought before shrugging. “I know as much as you do.” Kevin sighed and flexed his arm. “It just _weird._ Earlier today, while Aaron was tending to my injuries, she grabbed my hand and I felt this surge of power emitting off her. Then know, thinking of it, my injuries don’t hurt as much, ever since she touched me.” Jayden’s eyes went wide at this. “What do you mean?”

“I think that girl has a lot of symbol power,” Kevin told him in a worried glance. “And either she doesn’t know it, or she does. And that makes it very dangerous.” 

Jayden sighed. “We can discuss this tomorrow with Aaron and Tashiko present. It’s been a long day.” Kevin gave a nod, getting the cue from Jayden that it was time to rest. Now thinking of it, Kevin was beginning to feel exhausted. “G’nite,” he told the Red Ranger as a he grabbed a blanket and some pillows. He left a few ways off, setting up his makeshift bed while Jayden reached out at his back pocket and took out the letter Ji had given him. 

It was ripped and half destroyed making Jayden sigh, throwing it at the coffee table in front of him. He rubbed his face, thinking about the fight today and how the Nighlok were getting even more stronger. He thought back to what Kevin said to him a few minutes ago and frowned. Was Kevin suspecting that Tashiko was a Ranger too?

 _No_ , Jayden thought. _He just mentioned she was emitting off power. But what kind? Could it be, that she is indeed the Purple Ranger?_

* * *

Emily had gone outside to cool off her head after yelling at Mia. Now, after her anger had subsided, she was beginning to feel awful for yelling at her best friend. It wasn’t the Pink Rangers fault, she had just obeyed orders in rescuing the Guardian’s. 

She sighed, picking at the ground, wanting to cry again. Her body still hurt so much from all the injuries Gyaru had inflicted on her. “It hurts,” she whispered, rubbing at her injuries.

“You shouldn’t rub them,” came a voice making Emily spin around to find Mia standing in front of her. “

Mia, what are you doing here?” Emily asked. Mia glanced at the ground and said, “I was just walking around and found you here.” The Pink ranger noticed how fake that lie sounded and said, “I came to find you Em.” She bowed at the Yellow Ranger and said, “I want to apologize for leaving Mike to fend for himself. I didn’t mean it! I really didn’t! I-I needed to rescue the Guardians! Serrator had issued the order for them to be killed and I couldn’t just stand there!” Emily glanced at the Pink ranger, noticing the twinkles of tears falling down the Pink Ranger's cheeks.

“I’m so sorry Emily! Please forgive me!” 

Emily felt her eyes tearing up and covered her face. “I’m sorry Mia! I just snapped at you for no reason! I’m just so scared Mia! So scared that Mike or any of y’all are going to be gone! I don’t want to loose any of you!” She began to weep making Mia glance up at the Yellow Ranger. “Em,” Mia breathed, feeling her heart break at hearing the Yellow Ranger cry. 

“I’ve noticed the fights are getting harder to fight. Serrator is so powerful Mia, I can’t even imagine how powerful Master Xandred could be! I’m so scared Mia! I’m scared that the fights we are fighting could be our last!” Emily glanced at Mia, her brown eyes filled with fear. Mia grabbed the Yellow Ranger and pulled her into a hug. “We aren’t going to lose the war. I promise you that,” Mia whispered. “Rangers together right?”

“Samurai forever,” Emily answered, hugging Mia tightly. She was afraid that if she let go, Mia would be gone forever. 

* * *

Tashiko walked towards the living room seeing the Red, Blue and Gold Rangers sleeping. She was still fuming about the argument she had with Cody. Why couldn’t he understand that she was just trying to find answers? She knew that it was bad for her to trust a Nighlok, but Tashiko could feel that Hideo could be trusted. She paced around the house angrily before deciding to head to her room. She headed upstairs and found her room to be empty; Cody nowhere in sight. She sighed and threw herself into her bed, glancing out the window, watching the starry night sky. She eventually found her eyelids drooping and dozed off. 

* * *

_The bright light vanished as she collapsed into the ground, rolling down the hill. She protected her body as much as she could, clutching the injury in her stomach. Eventually she stopped and she groaned, feeling her hands slip from the injury. She was bleeding profusely and she struggled to sit up. "I-I have to find them," she panted._

_"Wait!" came a familiar shout._

_She turned her head, finding a large figure rushing towards her. "No, someone..Someone followed me here." She crawled, dragging herself away from the approaching figure. The injury was taking a toll on her body and she felt herself growing weaker by the minute. She felt the iron taste flood her mouth and she coughed. The red liquid was slipping down the sides of her mouth. "Shit!" she gasped, hearing footsteps. "Get away from me!" In a burst of adrenaline, she rose to her feet, only for her foot to get caught in a tree root, flinging her down hill._

_“NO!” shouted the figure behind her._

_A strangled gasp her lips as she tumbled further down the hill._ _Tree branches scraped her, tearing her clothes and cutting her arms. She screamed as she was flung down off a cliff towards the bottom. Pain exploded in her mind as her head collided with a rock. Before she lost consciousness, she saw someone approaching her._

* * *

Tashiko snapped her eyes open, panting in shock and glanced around. It was still night as the stars were still shining. She glanced at the digital clock beside her bed. 5 _AM_ , she thought. She involuntarily touched her head and thought, _Is that how I lost my memory? Who was chasing me? Why was I so scared?_ _Was it trying to kill me?_ She suddenly felt terrified and got under the bed sheets, covering herself. _Who’s trying to kill me? Why are they trying to kill me?_

_Who am I really?_

* * *

Mia watched Mike sleep peacefully in the bed. She squeezed the Green Ranger’s hand, hoping he was going to be okay soon. Regardless that Emily had forgiven her about the incident, she still felt responsible about his condition. Mia glanced at Kevin who was beside her, trying not to nod off on her shoulder. She smiled at the Blue Ranger. He had hugged her earlier, telling her that Mike was going to be okay. He was a tough nut and it would be hard for Mike to give up that easily.

But despite all of that, she knew that their team was one member short. Serrator had broken Mike’s leg badly and he wouldn’t be able to walk for a while.

Mia sighed and glanced back at Kevin who gave in and slept on her shoulder. She blushed seeing Kevin getting comfortable in her shoulder. Kevin had been so kind to her during all her hardships. She had noticed lately that she was seeing the courageous Blue Ranger in a different light, especially during their fight with Yoshi. How he saved her like a knight in shining armor! _Maybe he_ is _your shining knight in armor_ , stated a voice in her head. She turned beet red at the thought and shook her head. No, Kevin probably didn’t think of her in that way. But that didn’t mean she couldn't enjoy the moment of having his head on her shoulder. She slowly leaned her head against his, feeling his warm skin make contact with hers. She felt her heart racing, hoping he didn’t open his eyes at the moment. An involuntary smile appeared in her lips and let out a content sigh.

Without her knowing, Kevin was indeed awake, and a smile spread across his lips, hearing Mia’s content sigh. 

* * *

Jayden twitched in his sleep, tossing and turning. He panted, sweat dripping down his head as he was plunged once more into the horrible nightmares.

 _He clashed swords with the Master of all Nighloks, staring at his six yellow eyes._ _“Red Ranger!” Master Xandred roared, swinging his sword at him in an ark._

_“Jayden! Watch out!” came the Gold Ranger’s shout. The Gold Ranger was a few years younger from his usual dreams._

_Jayden put out his sword to block the attack, but Xandred’s sword cut through it. Jayden watched with horror filled eyes as his SpinSword clattered the ground._

_“Die!” Xandred shouted, his sword coming down on Jayden. The Red Ranger closed his eyes, awaiting his fate when he heard the clink of swords. He opened his eyes to see Antonio blocking the attack with his Barracuda Blade._

_Or what was left of it._

_The impact had caused his blade to be broken in half. Xandred’s sword was embedded deep into the Gold Ranger’s shoulder. “_

_What the hell?!” Jayden shouted, his eyes wide in shock. “Why did you do that?” Antonio grabbed the broadsword and pulled it off his shoulder with a painful cry. He grabbed his shoulder and staggered in front of Jayden. “Sorry Jay, seems like my instincts took over,” Antonio replied, falling to his knees. The Gold Ranger’s blood spilled the ground as he collapsed face down into the ground._

_“Antonio!” Jayden shouted, turning his best friend over._

Suddenly the scene changed, seeing the Pink, Blue, Gold and Yellow Rangers, too injured to fight.

 _“The Yellow Ranger is dead!” the Pink Ranger wailed, leaning over the dead Yellow Ranger._ Jayden found himself laid on the ground, a blonde woman in front of him. Her hands were extended to the sides in an effort to protect him.

_Master Xandred raised his sword to finish them once and for all._

_"No!"_ Jayden shouted, trying to save them but he phased through them.

 _A flash of purple light appeared in front of the two rangers._ _There stood the Purple Ranger, her raven hair flowing like the river. “Wait! Raikou-hime!” the blonde haired woman shouted, her hand extending towards the Purple Ranger. “Don’t!”_

_Master Xandred’s sword came down, slashing the Purple Ranger in a diagonal line before stabbing her through the chest._

_“No!” the younger Jayden screamed._

_“Raikou-hime! Why?!” the blonde haired woman shrieked. T_

_The Purple Ranger smiled, blood spurting from her lips. “My body...just moved...on it’s own… I had one thing...clear in my mind….and that was to save you two….I’m sorry.” Master Xandred growled, pulling out his sword from the Purple Rangers chest._

_The Purple Ranger swayed before falling into the ground, dead._

* * *

Jayden gasped awake, raking his hand through his hair. What was that? A dream? How did the Purple Ranger die if he had seen her later, when he and Emily were fighting their last fight? Or was her destiny to die in the future? Protecting him and that blonde woman? 

But something conflicted with this theory. She seemed extremely young in that dream, when in the present she looked like she was older. Nothing was making sense anymore. He glanced at the windows, seeing it was still nighttime. He laid back down and placed his arm on his forehead.

He just hoped all these dreams would clear up their message soon.


	10. Hideo's Past

A sob made Tashiko open her eyes. She woke to find herself standing beside a bed in a hospital. 

_ Where am I?,  _ she thought, glancing around the hospital room. Her eyes fell on.. _ herself _ ! 

Tashiko opened her eyes wide, seeing herself standing beside the bed, along with a few others whom she couldn’t recognize. Their faces were hazy and obscured their identities. She looked at the blonde haired woman who laid in bed, her face also hazy. A man walked in, his face obscured and grabbed the woman’s hand. Tashiko didn’t know what was going on, until she heard a voice speak, “A new life should always bring joy to the world, right?” 

Tashiko spun around to the source of the voice, only to find a beautiful young woman in her twenties standing behind her. She had long blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail that reached her waist, with parted bangs that hugged her cheeks. Her skin was a fair white and her lips wore red lipstick. She wore a red flowered kimono that reached all the way to her feet. What caught Tashiko’s attention the most, was the red ribbon tied in her hair. “Who are you?” Tashiko asked, taking a step back. She didn’t know this stranger but at the same time she felt like she knew this person. “I am your guardian,” the woman answered with a warm smile. “Guardian?” Tashiko echoed. The stranger extended her hand. “Come with me, Tashiko. I will show you, what you seek.” 

Tashiko looked into the green eyes of her Guardian, the radiant glow that emitted off this beautiful stranger. Tashiko hesitated and took her Guardian’s hand who led her away from the scene, but close enough to hear the conversation.

_ “She was beat badly,” stated the Doctor as he glanced at the woman. “How badly?” the man beside the blonde woman asked. “You have to be strong,” the Doctor stated, staring at the man. “I’m afraid she lost her child.”  _

_ “NO!” the man screamed, launching himself towards the Doctor. “ _

_ Stop it!” one of the other men yelled, grabbing the other man and pulled him away from the Doctor.  _

_ Suddenly the woman in the bed gasped awake. “You’re okay!” the man exclaimed, running towards her and grabbed her hand. “My love,” she whispered, looking at her boyfriend. “I’m glad you’re okay,” her boyfriend answered. She touched her stomach, when she noticed something different.  _ _ “My... where’s my baby? Where’s my baby?!” she cried out in panic. She tried to get off the bed, but the people surrounding her pushed her back down. “Where’s my baby?!”  _

_ “I’m sorry,” one of the people whispered. “Your baby...is gone.”  _

_ “What? That’s...that’s not true!” the blonde haired woman exclaimed, looking at the people around her.  _

_ “It’s not true!”  _

The scene vanished making Tashiko gaze at the blonde haired woman beside her. “I was supposed to be there, to protect them, but I failed long before I met them,” she stated. “You knew them?” Tashiko asked, looking back to where the memory once was. The woman nodded sadly before giving Tashiko a warm smile. “And so did you.”

“I did?” Tashiko said, her eyes going wide. 

Suddenly the two of them appeared at a park, where the blonde haired woman and the dark haired man were walking in the park. 

_ They were having the time of their lives. He held his lover's hand lovingly, seeing her beautiful brown eyes light up. He adored her laughter; it was like sweet music to his ears. A roar of a Nighlok interrupted them, attacking his lover. He called out his girlfriend’s name as the Nighlok threw her a few feet into the air. She landed in the ground where she got to her feet, only for the Nighlok to slam a punch into her stomach. She coughed up blood and collapsed into her knees. He yelled her name again, but his lover didn’t get up. Instead, she laid there, unmoving. He roared out in anger as a red light bathed him, turning him into the monster he dreaded. He fought the other Nighlok like a vicious animal tearing him apart before hearing his name being called. He glanced at the woman who was looking at him with horror stricken eyes. “Wha-what have you become?” she whispered. She got to her feet, despite her broken rib and shook her head. “You’ve...you’re a...Nighlok…”  _

_ “Wait!” he called but the woman spun around and fled the area. The Half-Nighlok collapsed into his knees, screaming in anguish. All his sadness transformed into a yellow accented staff with a crystal ball on top of it.  _

Tashiko began to notice that the crystal ball was familiar.

_ The heartbroken Nighlok grabbed the staff and got to his feet. “I am no longer a human. I lost everything. I’ve become hideous. I’ve become...” _

“Hideo,” Tashiko gasped noticing that everything she had witnessed, was Hideo’s transformation as a Nighlok!

* * *

Jayden couldn’t sleep anymore and noticed two hours had passed. He sat up, noticing that the Gold Ranger was gone. He assumed he had taken his shift in caring for the Green Ranger, seeing Kevin sleeping in his make-shift bed again. Jayden threw off the covers and began to walk down the hallway, hoping to find Tashiko.

He wanted to talk to her. He  _ needed  _ to talk to her. 

Ever since he felt that weird sensation, he hadn’t felt it again until he saw Tashiko. He wondered if she knew anything to why she was emitting that weird sensation. He noticed that the others were beginning to feel it too. Kevin, who said he felt that his injuries didn’t hurt that much once Tashiko touched him. The others hadn’t said anything.  _ At least not yet _ , Jayden thought. He stopped at a door, where he was beginning to feel that sensation once more. He knocked, hoping he wasn’t disturbing her. 

“Tashiko, can we talk?” 

“I can’t believe it,” Tashiko gasped, pacing around. “I was right! He was Half-Nighlok!” The blonde haired woman perked and scanned behind her. “I hear someone calling out your name.” She turned back to Tashiko and let go of Tashiko’s hand. “It’s time for me to go.” Tashiko glanced at her and said, “Do you really have to go? I have so many questions to ask you. Will I ever see you again?” The blonde haired woman gave Tashiko a warm smile. “Do not fret, my child. All your questions will be answered soon enough. For now, this is goodbye.” 

Tashiko frowned in worry, not wanting the blonde haired woman to go. The blonde haired woman bent down and kissed her Tashiko’s forehead tenderly and Tashiko felt a blanket of warmth fall on top of her. “My Raikou-Hime, soon this nightmare will be over. All will be revealed in its time.” She began to fade away making Tashiko ask her, “What’s your name?” 

“Kaisoko-Hime,” the woman replied before disappearing completely. 

Tashiko gasped awake, sitting up. That was two dreams in one night. She touched her head before hearing the blonde woman’s words echo her mind. 

_ Kaisoko-Hime _ . 

Tashiko smiled, hoping she would meet the blonde haired woman once again before hearing a knock. “Tashiko, can we talk?” came a voice, whom she recognized as Jayden. Tashiko threw off her blankets and walked towards the door, opening it. “Uh, sure,” Tashiko nodded. Jayden walked in as Tashiko closed the door behind him. “What’s up?” She walked towards her bed and sat in it, petting the place beside her, beckoning him to sit beside her. Jayden hesitated but reluctantly sat beside her.

“I-I wanted..I mean..” Jayden rubbed the back of his head nervously, not knowing how to start the conversation without scaring her or weirding her out. Tashiko noticed he was having trouble in telling her something, so she decided to start first. She let herself fall into the bed and said, “Jayden, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why did you say  _ ‘it’s you’ _ when we met yesterday?” Jayden glanced at her, looking relieved she started the conversation before turning away from her. 

She watched him rub his head again out of nervousness and said, “Sorry. Did I make you feel uncomfortable?” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Jayden replied, looking back at her. “It was something that happened earlier.”

“What was it?” Tashiko asked, propping her head up. Jayden looked into her curious hazel eyes and bit his lip. He didn’t know whether to tell her about all the dreams he had with the rangers and her. But he felt like if he did tell her, she wouldn’t believe him. 

“No, just..forget it.”

Jayden got off the bed and walked towards the door. He reached for the doorknob but Tashiko grabbed it before he could. “Please, tell me. You came to me for a reason,” Tashiko told him. Jayden looked at her, seeing her face filled with determination. “Please, tell me." Jayden sighed, knowing he couldn’t tell her no and said, “Fine. I’ll tell you why I said,  _ it’s you _ . But promise me you won’t laugh or freak out.” 

“I promise!” Tashiko nodded. They walked back towards the bed as Jayden sighed and began to tell her. 

“Lately, I’ve been having dreams,” Jayden began. “Dreams, that I guess, show the future of my team. Dreams, that show my team dying and the future destroyed. Master Xandred had taken over the world and the only rangers left was Emily, a Purple Ranger and me.” Tashiko was noticing that what Jayden was describing was familiar, like if she heard it...or dreamt it! 

“It all feels like everything is lost and hopeless. Every night I see Master Xandred slashing at Emily, killing her. And….” Jayden touched his chest, remembering Master Xandred’s sword through his chest. 

“The Nighlok killing you, stabbing you through the heart,” Tashiko murmured. Jayden glanced at her and said, “How did you know that?” 

“I’ve seen that dream too,” Tashiko replied, touching her chest. “I’ve seen how Master Xandred stabs you through the chest, killing you.” 

Jayden’s heart began to race. Was she really dreaming she same thing as him? But why? What was going on? 

“What happened next?” Jayden asked her. “Do you remember?” 

“Yes,” Tashiko nodded. “The Red Ranger tells this girl something. She’s beside this bright light. She tells him she doesn’t want to go, but she disappears into it.” Jayden couldn’t believe his ears. It was the exact same dream. They were having the same dream! 

“I think, the girl we are seeing, is you,” Jayden stated, making Tashiko’s hazel eyes go wide. “Me? I-I can’t be a Ranger! I-I do dream as being this Purple Ranger but it, it can’t be possible! I should be able to remember this, but I don’t! These are just dreams.”

“They’re memories,” Jayden told her. “Probably your memories.” 

“I might have lost my memory, but I refuse to believe I’m a Ranger!” Tashiko stated. “It’s preposterous! What if I’m dreaming the Purple Rangers dreams? What if the girl that escaped is someone else trying to find a way to find you? What if she’s sending me her dreams to interpret?”

Jayden shook his head. “I believe you’re the Purple Ranger. I just know it.” 

* * *

Hideo watched the Sanzu water lap at his feet as he meditated near the shore.

A cracking sound made him open his eyes and glance at his crystal ball. He noticed a small crack had appeared in the glass ball and his eyes went wide. _What is this?_ He thought as he waved his hand over the glass. An image of Jayden and Tashiko appeared. Both of them were talking intently. Hideo’s yellow eyes glowed in anger. _The Red Ranger is meddling in my plans. He needs to stay out of Tashiko’s and my business._ Hideo got to his feet and made his way towards a crack. _She cannot know her true self._

_ Not yet. _

* * *

The Rangers had woken to find Kevin making breakfast with Aaron and Emily. “Are you feeling better know, Em?” Kevin asked the Yellow Ranger who was mixing some eggs. He had noticed her injuries were gone, surprising the Ranger. “Emotional wise or physical wise?” Emily asked, glancing at Kevin with a raised eyebrow. Kevin sighed. “Both?”

Emily smiled and nodded. “My injuries are fine. See, they’re even gone! Mia and I apologized to each other and everything worked out. I’m still worried about Mike.” 

“I think everyone is,” Aaron interrupted as he grabbed some places. “I’m going to take these to the dinner table.”

At the dinner table, almost all the Rangers were sitting, with the exception of Jayden and Tashiko. Cody smiled as his father placed a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Thanks!” Cody stated as he poured syrup on them. “Where’s Jayden?” Antonio asked through his mouthful. Mia shrugged. “Kevin said he was gone when he woke up.” Antonio frowned and said, “I wonder where he is.”

Jayden blinked his eyes open and yawned. He stretched before noticing he wasn’t in the living room. He had fallen asleep in Tashiko’s bed. They were talking and arguing about her being the Purple Ranger, they probably passed out. 

“Are you done squishing me?” came a muffled voice. Jayden jumped out of bed, seeing Tashiko under the blankets. She popped out of them, her hair in a mess as she pouted. “You kept turning and kept squishing me more.” 

“Sorry!” Jayden stated sheepishly. He noticed he hadn’t had a bad dream. 

His sleep was actually...dreamless.

_ That’s odd _ , he thought as Tashiko got off the bed and grabbed a brush, brushing her raven hair. 

Suddenly she froze and went stiff.

Jayden glanced at her worriedly, and said, “Are you….” 

“I sense…” she whispered making Jayden tense up. “Sense what? Another Nighlok?” 

“PANCAKES!” Tashiko gasped, bolting out of the room. Jayden blinked a few times before chuckling. He shook his head in disbelief before leaving out the room.

The others were eating breakfast before a knock interrupted them. Aaron got to his feet, opening the door to find Mentor Ji standing. “Ji, come in,” Aaron told the other man who made his way inside. “Mentor!” the other Rangers greeted the old man. “Join us!” Antonio told him, gesturing to sit down at the table with them. “Thanks, but no thanks,” Mentor replied politely. “Aaron, I need to talk to you.” Aaron gave a grave nod and left the dining room and into his studio.

“Are you alright, Aaron?” Ji asked. “Kevin told me all about the incident.” 

“I’m fine, so is Cody,” Aaron replied, taking a seat before rubbing his face. “Your Green Ranger…” Mentor Ji sighed. “I know. Mind if I see-” 

“I smelled pancakes!” said a voice as a young teen came skipping through the hall. Mentor Ji eyed the young teen wide eyed as the girl turned to glance at Ji. 

The teen continued to skip down the hall towards the dining room. “Is that…” Mentor Ji began, glancing at Aaron. “The young teen I found in the forest? Yeah, that’s her,” Aaron replied. Ji watched her from the hallway. “Do you think she’s the one?” Aaron asked.

“From what I’ve felt, that power emitting off her, I think she is,” Ji replied before taking out an arrow from his kimono. “But, that conflicts with this.” He offered the letter attached to the arrow and Aaron took it in his hands. “What is this?” Aaron asked, opening the letter that was written in Japanese. “What...what in..”

“A Purple Ranger is coming to the Shiba house,” Ji stated. “You mean, we were wrong?” Aaron gasped in disbelief. “If Tashiko isn’t what we think she is...what is she?” 

“I don’t know,” Ji answered. “And that’s what worries me.” 

“Do you know when the Purple Ranger is coming?” Aaron inquired. “The letter doesn’t really give an exact date.” 

“I believe in these coming days,” Ji replied. “It might be even hours. She might be here already.” 

They went silent, trying to weigh out what went wrong in their theory. “Aaron, you wouldn’t mind if I took Tashiko with me, will you?” Ji asked. “No,” Aaron shook his head. “But I don’t know if she’s willing to go with you.” 

“Believe me, she will,” Ji stated, glancing at Jayden who was talking to Tashiko.


	11. Awake

After finishing breakfast, Ji ordered the Rangers to head back home. They were cleaning the mess they had made before prepping the car to take Mike home as well. He was still unconscious but Ji would take care of him as he had more medical equipment than Aaron. Tashiko watched the Rangers sadly, knowing the house was going to be lonely without them. Aaron placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked the teen. “Just sad that the Rangers are leaving,” Tashiko answered. Aaron let out a chuckle. 

“Who said, you were going to miss them? You’re going with them.” 

“What?” Tashiko gasped, turning around to glance at Aaron. Aaron lowered himself towards her eye level and said, “Mentor Ji and I spoke to each other, saying you would be probably be safer in the Shiba House than in here.” 

“Why? I want to stay here,” Tashiko began. “I take it back that I’m going to miss the Rangers!” 

“Tashiko, you’ll be safe there,” Aaron replied. “The Nighloks already attacked here. We aren’t that safe in here anymore.” 

“We were caught off guard!” Tashiko argued. “We are better prepared! We are-”

“Tashiko, please,” Aaron told her. “In the Shiba House you can train and be a fighter. Besides, we aren’t too far from each other. You can come visit any day you’ll like.” 

Tashiko examined Aaron’s face, knowing there was no way to change his mind. She sighed and said, “Fine.” She launched herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I’ll never forget how you rescued me and saved my life. For that I’m eternally grateful! I’m going to miss you.” Aaron embraced her as well. Cody crashed into them, hugging them as well. 

“I’m going to miss you Tashiko!” Cody told her, tears forming in his brown eyes. “Me too!” Tashiko replied. “Don’t forget about us, okay?” 

“How could I forget my family?” Tashiko replied, tears slipping down her cheeks. “You were like a father and brother to me.” 

“And you were like a daughter,” Aaron replied, ruffling her hair. “Go pack your stuff or the Rangers will leave without you.” 

She took off as Mentor Ji appeared beside them. Aaron glanced at him and said, “Take care of my daughter.” Mentor Ji gave a nod. “I’ll treat her like my own.” 

Tashiko walked back to her room, and looked around. This was going to be the last time she was going to see her room. Despite that this wasn’t her house or real room, or real family, she was going to miss it. She would miss glancing out the window, seeing how the wind blew around the forest that led to the tall mountains or how the wolves howled at night. Now it was going to be a new stage in her life. She was going to move in with the Rangers and live a different life. She grabbed a suitcase Aaron had left her and opened it, surprised to find some clothes already packed. Tashiko grabbed the suitcase off her bed and traced her fingers on the wall and the dressers. She spun around, trying to take in the memory of her room before opening the door. She viewed it once more before closing the door and never once looking back. 

Tashiko walked towards a black Tahoe with the Samurai emblem on the doors, waiting for her. But before she could approach it, Cody stopped her. “Before you go, promise me something,” Cody told her. “What is it?” Tashiko asked. “Tashiko, whatever you do, don’t talk to Hideo,” Cody pleaded. “Please, promise me that.” Tashiko sighed. “I’m not making promises, but I’ll try.” She turned away from Cody, leaving him frustrated that she didn’t provide him with an answer. 

She went inside of the car, seeing Jayden and Antonio with Kevin. “Sit over here,” Antonio stated, patting the seat beside him. “And the others?” Tashiko asked, wondering where the girls and Mike were. “They left in another car,” Kevin answered. “Oh,” Tashiko replied before sitting beside Antonio. Kevin closed the doors and Tashiko felt the car beginning to leave. She glanced outside of the car window, seeing Aaron and Cody waving goodbye at her. She waved back as they got smaller and smaller. The house, the forest, the mountains were got tinier as the car drove away from the mountainside and into the city. 

Tashiko sadly watched as her life with Cody and Aaron faded away. 

* * *

“Dayu and Dekker are growing impatient,” Serrator stated, pacing back and forth in Master Xandred’s ship. “I only have three weeks before they ask again with more...severe measures.” He glanced at the Sanzu River, watching from afar Hideo glancing at his crystal ball. “I wonder what he’s up t-” 

“Serrator!” Master Xandred roared, storming towards the King of all Nighloks. Xandred grabbed Serrator and spun him around. “You failed in bringing Dayu back!” 

“Master Xandred,” Serrator coolly replied, trying to avoid snapping at his Master. “I didn’t fail. I found Dayu with Dekker-” 

“Dekker?” Xandred interrupted, narrowing his eyes. “That miserable Half-Nighlok is still alive?! I thought the Red ranger had finished him off!”

“That what I believed,” Serrator muttered. 

"I want Dekker and the Rangers dead,” Xandred spat, letting Serrator go. 

“Oh do not fret, Master, I know how to get rid of them,” Serrator slyly replied. 

“Do it!” Xandred snarled, turning around and left Serrator alone. 

Serrator floated out the window and towards the shore, to find the right Nighlok that could destroy the rangers. 

Serrator landed in front of Hideo who raised his glass ball at him. “Master. Phase II is in process. What is your next move?” 

“Excellent,” Serrator smirked. “We wait Hideo. Now, I must find a worthy Nighlok to keep the rangers busy.” With that he disappeared from sight making Hideo scoff. 

* * *

Tashiko gaped as they neared a forest with a beautiful wooden house that was surrounded by wooden tall fence. “That’s the Shiba House,” Antonio told her. 

“Welcome to the Shiba House,” Jayden smiled at her. The car doors opened making Tashiko step foot into the Ranger’s house. She looked around in awe, seeing the huge backyard and the house. “It’s beautiful,” Tashiko murmured. “Easy,” Ji stated as Kevin, Mia and Emily helped Ji get Mike out of the car and into the house. Antonio followed them with Jayden behind him. 

Jayden glanced at Tashiko and waved her inside. 

Tashiko stepped inside of the house and immediately felt a wave of deja vu wash over her. It felt like she had been inside the house before, despite it being her first time. She noticed the Red Ranger was following the others, who were taking Mike to the infirmary. She followed the Red Ranger, opening the sliding doors to find Ji setting up the machines and items for Mike to be settled. 

“Mentor, why hasn’t Mike woken up?” Emily asked worriedly. “Emily, everyone, please, leave the room,” Mia began, shooing the rangers away. “We need to work in silence.” 

“But,” Kevin began, also worried about his friend. “C’mon guys,” Jayden beckoned them. “Let’s leave Mentor and Mia to work.” The others gave a curt nod and left the area, all with the exception of Tashiko.

Mia noticed that the girl was there and hadn’t moved, instead, was staring at Mike. “Um, you should also leave the room,” Mia suggested as she turned on the machine. “Oh yeah,” Tashiko nodded before turning around. Mentor Ji was prepping some needles when he sighed. “He hasn’t woken up, I say his condition isn’t getting any better,” Mentor stated as Tashiko began to leave the room. She paused midway and glanced over her shoulder. “Do you think...he’s never waking up?” Mia asked worriedly. 

Mentor Ji didn’t answer. 

Tashiko glanced at her hands and wondered. She had noticed Kevin seemed better ever since she grabbed his hand. He said his pain had gone away, regardless how his injuries still looked ugly. She wondered if she could do that to Mike. Tashiko gazed at Mike once more before noticing Mia giving her a look. She left the infirmary but stared at her hands. She wasn’t going to let her doubt unfold more. 

Once Mike was left alone, she would take action.

* * *

“Rangers,” Mentor Ji began after Mike had been set up in the infirmary and all the Rangers were gathered together. “I’ve called this meeting to introduce you to our newest member, Tashiko.” Tashiko was blushing in embarrassment as the Rangers viewed at her with small smiles in their faces. “She is going to stay here in the Shiba House to be trained.” Jayden seemed the most excited out of the Rangers and even shot a glare of contempt at Antonio who rolled his eyes. “I want you to introduce yourselves,” Ji continued. He looked at Tashiko and gave her a warm smile, which she showed back. The Rangers exchanged glances, wondering who was going to go first. Jayden got to his feet, making the others glance at him. “I’m Jayden, the Red Ranger,” he told Tashiko, despite meeting a day earlier. “I’m Kevin, the Blue Ranger,” the dark skinned man stated, extending his hand and shaking Tashiko’s hand. “I’m Mia, the Pink Ranger,” Mia replied, giving her a warm smile. “Emily, the Yellow Ranger,” Emily told her, giving her a small smile. “Antonio Garcia, Gold ranger,” Antonio said bowing at her and winked. “But you already knew that.” Tashiko giggled while Kevin rolled his eyes. 

Tashiko bowed at the four Rangers and said, “I’m Tashiko or at least that’s my temporary name. I’m humbled you’ve accepted me into your home.” 

“Temporary name?” Emily echoed. “What do you mean?” 

Tashiko stood up, seeing their confused glances. She looked at the ground and said, “I’ve lost my memory. I have no idea who I am, or what I am. Tashiko is the name Cody and Aaron gave me when they found me injured in the forest.”

“I’m sorry,” Emily asked, bowing her head down. She felt bad for asking about it know and looked away. “But that’s not letting me down. I know one day, I’ll find who I am, who I was, one day,” Tashiko told them, with a sad smile. 

Jayden approached her and gave her a hug. The others followed suit as Mia stated, “We are here to help you.” 

“You’re practically part of the family know,” Emily shrugged. “We Ranger's always help each other out.” 

“Thank you,” Tashiko replied, feeling so happy. Feeling the Rangers warmth around her filled her heart with joy, but it also filled her with an aching loneliness. It felt, like, she had missed his warmth and dreaded it badly. She closed her eyes to enjoy the moment before noticing that Emily had backed off and was hugging herself. “But still, this group hug feels so empty,” Emily murmured. “Mike’s missing. It doesn’t feel...complete.” She covered her mouth to avoid a sob make way through her mouth before taking off in the direction of her room. “Emily!” Mia stated, running after the Yellow Ranger. 

The Rangers moved away from Tashiko, casting each other worried glances. They were worried about Mike who hadn’t regained consciousness. Tashiko wanted to do something. She wanted to help the rangers out; she couldn’t bare to see them this sad. 

So she began to plan. 

* * *

“This is going to be your room,” Mentor Ji told Tashiko, who walked inside her new room. It was empty with just a full bed and a few dressers. “Thank you Mentor Ji,” Tashiko told the Mentor. “I appreciate it.” Mentor gave a nod and closed the door, leaving Tashiko alone in her room. Tashiko grabbed her suitcase and put it in her bed, quickly taking out her items and put her clothes in the closet. She worked quickly and quietly, trying to hear the Rangers moving about. Tashiko glanced at the clock, seeing that it was starting to get late. 

She had finished unpacking and grabbed a book, beginning to read. She waited, hearing the house get quieter. At 12 am, everything was silent making Tashiko close her book and get off the bed. She quietly opened the door, and scanned the hallway. All the lights were out and everything was silent. She sneaked outside and began to make way towards the infirmary. Tashiko quietly opened the door, surprised to find no one around. She frowned before shrugging and made her way towards Mike’s side. She glanced at the Green ranger who’s eyes were shut with an oxygen tube sticking out his mouth. “If this works, I’ll get you to get your eyes open,” Tashiko told the unconscious Green Ranger. She slowly reached for his hand and took it, bringing it close to her chest. “Please, please, wake up!” Tashiko whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. 

“What are you doing here?” came a snarl. Tashiko spun around, dropping Mike’s hand back into the bed to see the Yellow Ranger standing behind the door. “Emily,” Tashiko stated in surprise. She could have sworn that no one was in the room when she arrived. How did Emily get in without her noticing? 

“I asked a question. What are you doing in here?” Emily growled lowly, glaring at Tashiko. “I-I wanted to see the Green ranger, I-I thought maybe I-I,” Tashiko began before she was interrupted by a groan. Both women turned to the Green Ranger who was shifting in the bed.

He then opened his green eyes. 

* * *

Hideo narrowed his eyes as he stared into his crystal ball, noticing how Tashiko, somehow awoke the Green Ranger.  _ Damn, _ he thought.  _ Now with Tashiko living with the rangers, it's going to be more complicated to contact her.  _ He cursed out loud, not noticing another Nighlok approaching him. “So, are you spying on the rangers or making yourself useless?” spoke a voice, one Hideo quickly curled his lips upward. “Speak for yourself,” Hideo answered, glaring into his crystal ball. The Nighlok walked over towards him, pacing around the Half-Nighlok with her arms crossed over her chest. “Stop meddling,” Hideo growled making the images from his crystal ball disappear. “Oh c'mon Hideo,” the Nighlok stated whirling around. “I'm just trying to see if you're obeying Serrator's orders!”

“Why do you care?” Hideo snapped, glaring at the red haired Nighlok. “Cause, we pupils have to stick together. I mean, look at us! We are Serrator's favorite Nighloks! We’re the ones that he truly trusts!” Kameyo stated with a giggle. Hideo rolled his eyes, letting out a snort. “You’re not even that close to him. He doesn’t even acknowledge you.” 

“One day he will!” the red haired Nighlok snapped, stopping in front of Hideo. “One day he’ll notice all the things I’ve done for him!” 

“You only follow him blindly because you love him,” Hideo snapped at her. “How, how do you know?” Kameyo stated, wide eyed. “We Nighloks don’t have feelings, but that doesn’t stop us from knowing that you love Serrator,” Hideo stated. Hideo turned away from her and glanced at his crystal ball. “I’ve studied the humans for so long that I see how they love and how they express those feelings. We Nighloks can be like humans. We can show emotions but we can never feel them.”

“All this talk makes me want to vomit,” spat a voice. The two Nighloks turned around to glance at Dayu who was staring at them in disgust. “Dayu,” Kameyo gasped surprised. “Says the one who is a half runt,” Hideo pointed out. “I was once human, but the past is in the past,” Dayu shot back, narrowing her eyes at the Half-Nighlok. “Dayu,” Kameyo said in a sweet voice. “Master Xandred’s been looking for ya!”

“Well he can keep on looking,” Dayu growled. “I’m not coming back on his miserable ship.” 

Hideo smirked and twirled his staff in his hand. “Still holding onto that dream that Dekker will somehow regain his memories?” 

“Yes, and I will never give up on that dream,” Dayu coldly stated. She was getting rather annoyed by this new Nighlok. He had no place in insulting her like that. She was about to snap something back at him before a Mooger appeared.

The Mooger glanced around before looking at Kameyo, babbling in a language, neither Dayu or Hideo could understand. They watched Kameyo’s face go from interested to full fledged angry. She raised her hand and blasted the Mooger into pieces, surprising the other two Nighlok. Kameyo turned to glance at them. “The Mooger has told me there’s a new person in the Rangers den!” Hideo clenched his jaw, knowing that Tashiko was in grave danger. The Nighloks knew of her presence and they were beginning to think of her as a new threat. “Is she a ranger?” Dayu asked, growing interested. “The Mooger didn’t have a lot of information,” Kameyo replied. “He only knew that she's living with the rangers.”

“We need to observe the girl closely then,” Hideo replied, making the two Nighloks look at him. “She could be a threat.” 

“I agree,” Kameyo nodded. “I’ll have to report this to Serrator.”

With that she floated over the river and towards Master Xandred’s ship. Dayu glared at Hideo one more time before disappearing through a gap.

Hideo tightened the grip of his staff.  _ Tashiko is in danger. I need to warn her. _ Hideo disappeared through a gap, hoping to find Tashiko and warn her about the situation.

* * *

Tashiko couldn’t believe it. Her idea had worked! “How, how did you do that?” Emily asked shaking her head. “How did you get him to wake up?” 

“I don’t know,” Tashiko smiled glancing at her hands. “I just…” She gasped in worry as Emily grabbed Tashiko’s shirt and pulled her towards her. “How did you do that?” Emily growled. 

Tashiko glanced at Emily’s brown eyes, noticing that any trace of the Yellow Ranger’s kindness was gone. Instead, two cold brown orbs were staring her down, staring into _her_ _soul_. “I-I don’t know,” Tashiko replied honestly. “I noticed that once I touched Kevin, his pain was gone. I thought that maybe it could work for the Green Ranger too!” Emily eyed her suspiciously before pushing her away.  
  
Tashiko didn’t understand why Emily was being so aggressive towards her. She didn’t do anything wrong, did she? She walked backwards, not understanding what just happened before bolting out of the room.

Mike meanwhile had opened his eyes, seeing the white ceiling and the wooden walls of the Shiba House. “Where...where am I?” he murmured but gasped as Emily crashed into him. “Mike!” she cried into his chest, hugging him tightly. “Em,” Mike smiled as Emily glanced up. Her cheeks were stained with wet tears as she hugged the Green ranger once more. “I’m glad you're okay Mike!” Mike smiled and stroked her blonde hair.

“I’m glad I’m okay too.” 


	12. Good Cook, Bad Cook

It had been a few days since Tashiko had arrived and everything was going great. Mike had woken from his unconsciousness and everyone was training. Tashiko was enjoying her life in the Shiba House, with the exception that Emily was ignoring her. Ever since the day Tashiko had gone into Mike’s room to wake him, Emily had been ignoring the teen. She seemed like a different person than the person she had met in the forest. She was cold towards her, she made Tashiko feel like she wasn’t welcome in the Shiba House. 

At the moment, Tashiko was watching the Rangers train with no enthusiasm. Mike was in the living room playing video games while Ji was in the backyard with the Rangers.  _ God, I didn’t know this was going to be so boring, _ Tashiko thought.  _ I haven’t been trained or anything. I’m thinking Aaron lied to me about this, whole being at the Shiba House thing _ . She pouted. Tashiko wondered why she hadn’t had any weird dreams. Her sleep had been dreamless lately. She glanced at the Red Ranger who swung his wooden katana and hit Antonio’s. 

Then there was Jayden. 

She had heard him screaming in the middle of the night. She had asked the Gold ranger to why he screamed. He answered saying that Jayden lately had been having nightmares.  _ Was it those same nightmares I had? _ She thought. She knew somehow Jayden and her shared the same dreams. But lately she hadn’t had dreams, while he continuously had them. She sighed before grabbing the necklace that hanged around her neck. Hideo hadn’t visited her either. Maybe Cody was right all along. Hideo couldn’t be trusted and had just fooled her. 

A yelp interrupted her thoughts making her glance up to see Mia had taken Emily down with a hit on the knee. The Yellow Ranger rubbed her knee while Mia extended her hand. “Sorry Em,” she apologized getting the Yellow Ranger to her feet. “It’s fine,” Emily stated, ignoring Mia’s hand and got to her feet.  _ That actually stung. The Pink Ranger is strong _ , Emily thought darkly. Tashiko got to her feet and headed to grab an ice pack. She decided that maybe doing something nice for the Yellow Ranger, would make her talk to Tashiko once again. 

She grabbed the bag of frozen peas the Rangers kept for injuries before turning back around, only to bump into Emily. “Watch it!” Emily snarled at her. “Sorry,” Tashiko replied, flinching back. “I wanted to give you the ice ba-” Emily snatched it from her hands and glared at her. “Don’t you think I haven’t forgotten on how you got Mike off the bed,” Emily pointed out. “I’ll intend to find out how you did it!” The Yellow ranger turned around before Tashiko called her back. “Why are you so mad at me? I brought the Green Ranger back! I did it to make you happy!” Emily paused and spun back around. “That’s exactly it! You  _ brought _ him back,” Emily snarled before turning around and leaving the kitchen, leaving a very confused Tashiko.

_ This girl keeps getting in the way _ , Emily thought as she made her way back to the backyard.  _ She’s foiling the plan without knowing. What also worries me, is that damn power she’s emitting. She’s not a normal human. _

Tashiko continued to stand there, trying to wrap her mind to what just happened. Why was Emily so angry that Mike had woken up? Her personality seemed _off._ Different from what Jayden had described her to be and how she appeared in her dreams. “What did I do to make Emily angry?” she asked herself. “Did I..do something wrong? I’m so...confused.” 

Emily limped towards the backyard to find the rangers putting away the wooden katana’s. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Tashiko leaving the kitchen. She smirked, her eyes glinting. Tashiko was so annoying. She was getting too much in her way.  _ I’ll have to deal with her later _ . 

She turned back around to find the Rangers in a circle, discussing something. “We’re one ranger short,” Kevin argued. “We could train Tashiko,” Mia suggested. “She’s here for that isn’t she?”

“True, but it could be dangerous to bring her into the battle field, without even knowing she has Symbol Power,” Antonio added, catching Jayden’s glare. “And she doesn’t have the proper samurai training,” Kevin agreed. “We go back to square one then,” Jayden stated making all the Rangers glance at him. “We train like we did before, with only five rangers.”

“I agree with Jayden,” Emily replied. “We have to train like this until Mike gets better.” 

“Alright,” Kevin nodded. “I’m heading to the showers and head to the city to pick up some groceries for Mentor.”

“Oh! I’ll give you a list!” Mia replied, rushing towards the kitchen. 

The Rangers exchanged worried glances.

* * *

“Are these the only things you need?” Kevin asked surprised. She always had a huge list for her “cooking” recipes. “Yes,” Mia nodded. “I’m following a recipe.” 

“About time!” Antonio joked but Mia frowned at him. “What is that supposed to mean?” Antonio began to sweat nervously. “Uh…” He quickly glanced around before grabbing Jayden who happened to pass by. “Damn Jayden! Hurry up so we can go fishing!” Antonio told him. 

“Wha,” Jayden began before Antonio gave him a glare and glanced at Mia with a sweet smile. Jayden was puzzled until he caught on and quickly shook his head. “Right!” Jayden nodded as the Red and Gold Rangers bolted out of the living room. Mia glanced at Emily who was sitting on the couch. The Yellow Ranger began to grow nervous under the Pink Ranger's glare. “Uh,” she began, thinking of an excuse to get away from Mia’s glare. “I’m going to check on Mike!” She ran out of the room, leaving Kevin and Mia behind. 

Mia glared at Kevin who scratched the back of his head. “Uh. I should get ready to go. I can’t wait to try your new recipe. I bet they’re going to be tastier!” 

“ _ Tastier? _ ” Mia commented. “What is that supposed to mean? My other foods weren’t tasty?”  _ Damn it Kevin! _ The Blue ranger thought mentally slapping himself.  _ That was a nice move. I could tell her a lie, but I can’t lose her trust. I like her too much to lie to her. _ Kevin sighed and took Mia’s hand. “I guess I should tell you then,” Kevin answered, leading the Pink Ranger to the couch. 

* * *

Master Xandred was drinking his medicine before throwing the plate on the ground, shattering it. “Ugh! I can’t stand these headaches!” he roared, rubbing his head. Serrator walked towards him and bowed before Master Xandred. “Master,” Serrator began. “I have found a Nighlok to help you get rid of the rangers.” Master Xandred glanced up at the white haired Nighlok. “Who is it?” he asked when there was a chewing noise. 

The Master’s gaze turned to see a Nighlok munching on the door frame. “Mmm! Delicious!” the Nighlok stated, biting another part of the door frame. “Don’t eat the ship!” Octoroo snapped, shooing away the munching Nighlok. “Beat it squid face!” the Nighlok snapped back, letting out a burp. He walked towards Xandred and bowed down at his Master’s feet. “Master! I am Scarf and I’m going to raise the Sanzu River higher than any Nighlok that has stepped foot on this ship!” Master Xandred glanced at the Nighlok before glancing at Serrator. “How is this eating Nighlok going to help me destroy the rangers?!” he snarled. 

Serrator gave him a smirk. “You, see, when Scarf gets destroyed, he will show his true potential.” 

“That’s right!” Scarf answered. “And I’ll prove to you Master, what I can really do! You won’t be disappointed!”

“Show me then!” Master Xandred snapped as the Nighlok bolted out of the boat and plunged into the Sanzu River. 

“I shall make my leave as well Master,” Serrator replied bowing. With that, Serrator disappeared through a gap.

Serrator reappeared in the outskirts of California, where Dekker and Dayu were walking around. “Dayu, Dekker!” he singed, making the two Nighloks glance at him. Dekker immediately took out his temporary sword but Dayu raised her hand, stopping him from advancing towards Serrator. “What do you want?” Dayu asked, with narrowed eyes. “A favor,” Serrator replied curtly. “And why should we do this favor for you?” Dekker inquired. “Because, if you do this for me, I guarantee that Uramasa and your Harmonium will be repaired in less than the three weeks you gave me,” Serrator pointed out. 

“What do you want us to do?” Dekker asked, putting away his sword. “I want you to destroy the Nighlok Master Xandred sent,” Serrator ordered. “Why?” Dayu replied puzzled. “His true potentials will be shown when he is destroyed,” Serrator replied. “The Rangers will have a harder time defeating him.” 

“Done,” Dekker gave a nod. “I think it would be a great time to show the rangers I’m still alive.” He disappeared through a gap while Dayu glanced at Serrator. “You better keep your word, or else.” She disappeared through a gap as well before Serrator turned around, chuckling.

* * *

Mia tried to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes. Kevin had just told her how all the Rangers talked about how bad of a cook she was behind her back. 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Mia whispered, getting to her feet. “I didn’t think I was that bad. You should have told me! I’m so embarrassed!” Mia covered her eyes as Kevin got to his feet and tried to hug her but Mia pushed him back. “Don’t touch me!” she yelled. “We didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” Kevin began. “Well you did!” Mia shouted. “You all should’ve told me to save myself from this embarrassment! Y’all made me feel like an idiot!” 

“Mia,” Kevin stated but Mia had run off towards her room, crying. Kevin sighed and glanced at the list Mia had given him. His grip on the paper tightened before he made way towards the showers. 

Mia had come into her room, crying as she remembered Kevin’s explanation.  _ We didn’t want to hurt your feelings… _ They could have told her instead of talking about it behind her back. She wouldn’t have gotten mad, just embarrassed. But not to find not one, but the whole team saying she was a bad cook, made her feel horrible. She wished she would have been told sooner and she could have fixed her horrible cooking skills sooner. Now knowing the truth, she had noticed a few things. Every time she cooked, the Rangers made excuses to not eat her food. They always said they had already ate or weren’t hungry. She would later see them eating anything else but her food. 

When she cooked for Kevin during the stakeout to look for Doubletone, she noticed that Kevin had made a face while he took a bite of her food. He thought she didn’t notice his face and played it off, saying it was good before seeing him throw it on the ground. Or the time when Antonio was trying to get rid of his phobia of fish and Kevin had told him, that if Antonio touched the fist, Kevin would take a bite of Mia’s food. That hurt her feelings that time, despite not showing it. 

Mia collapsed into the bed and sniffed before noticing a cookbook on the ground. She rolled over and grabbed it, remembering that this cookbook was Kevin’s present for her on Christmas.  _ Maybe I should read it. If I do, I can be a better cook _ , Mia thought. She sat up and flipped through the pages, noticing the measurements and ingredients were way different than the ones her grandmother had given her.  _ Whoa! This, this is amazing! _ She hugged the book close to her chest and smiled.  _ I can become a better cook. If I do, I can put my dream restaurant! _

* * *

Tashiko was sitting outside, watching the trees sway around with the wind. She heard footsteps, but didn’t bother to glance up. “Tashiko? What are you doing over here?” Kevin asked, glancing at her. Tashiko turned to look at Kevin and said, “Just wanted some fresh air, that’s all.” 

“Oh,” Kevin replied before glancing down at the list Mia have given him. “I’m going to get the groceries Mentor told me to get. Want to come?” Tashiko’s eyes went wide. “Of course! I haven’t seen the city!” she bounced around in excitement. Kevin chuckled, reminding him of Emily. “Alright, let’s go,” he said grabbing the keys. 

Tashiko gaped as she glanced around the city. She was amazed on how big it was and how many high skyscrapers there were! There were so many people who were talking and laughing, having a good time. She saw how the ocean wasn’t far away from it and overall, Tashiko was amazed by Panorama City. “This is amazing!” she giggled spinning around before bumping into Kevin who had stopped walking. “Oof!” Tashiko stated, rubbing her shoulder. She glanced at Kevin who was staring intently at a poster on a wall. She glanced at it, noticing it was about a swimming competition. “What is this?” Tashiko asked. “The Regional Swimming Competition,” Kevin murmured sadly. “I wish I was..in it.” He touched the poster sadly before walking away from the poster. Tashiko looked at the poster once more before following Kevin. 

A young man in his swimming gear walked towards the Recreation Center when he saw Kevin pass by with a younger teenager. His eyes went wide in shock before running inside of the building. He ran in the hallways and into the Hallway of Fame, glancing at the picture of Kevin. A smile spread across his face before running towards the pool. “Hey! No running in the pool!” someone shouted, but the young man didn’t care. He stopped in front of his teammate who looked at him in surprise. “Guess what?!” he told his teammate. “What?” the other answered, drying his hair with a towel. “I saw Kevin!” the first one said excitedly, jumping up and down. “Kevin?” the other replied, pausing in drying his hair. “Where?” “He just passed by here!” the amateur exclaimed. “Come on!” He grabbed the other man’s arm and pulled him outside. 

But when they reached the front doors and into the sunlight, Kevin was nowhere to be found. “Where is he?” the other man asked, looking around. “He was right here,” the amateur answered in a puzzled tone. “Well, he’s gone now,” his teammate spat bitterly. “Just like last time. He disappeared without a trace and left us hanging. We barely made it to regionals thanks to him ditching us last minute.” The man turned around and made his way inside, leaving the amateur standing at the front of the building, glancing at the floor. “Maybe, he had a reason to leave,” he muttered before turning around and going inside of the recreation center. 

Kevin stared at the floor, hearing the conversation his ex-teammates had. His eyes began to fill with tears.  _ I wish I could tell you why I left, but I..can’t _ , he thought. He felt someone touch his arm and glanced at Tashiko who was looking at him worriedly. “Let’s get the groceries. That’ll take your mind off things,” she told him gently. “Heck, you can tell me about swimming regionals along the way if you want. We can even go to a pool and make our own regional competition!” 

Kevin smiled at Tashiko’s effort of cheering him up. She always know how to make people feel better. “Alright,” he replied, feeling a bit better. “Come on! It will be fun! We can even ask Antonio to say his corny golden jokes while he gives us golden metals!” Tashiko grinned. Kevin smiled at her and said, “C’mon you still have the rest of the city to see.” 

* * *

Mike was feeling a lot better now. Sure, his leg still hurt and he couldn’t walk, but he was enjoying his free time by playing video games and hanging around with the girl he liked. He passed the level again, causing him to shout in victory. “Did you see that Em?!” he asked the Yellow Ranger who was looking at the TV screen in boredom. “Wow, you did it again,” Emily stated, her unenthusiastic tone making Mike frown. “Are you okay Em? You seem...rather off,” Mike pointed out. “I’m just bored, that’s all,” Emily replied. “Hey, where does Jayden usually hang out?” Mike raised an eyebrow, puzzled to why Emily was asking  _ that _ of all things. He felt a tinge of jealousy shoot through his chest. “He’s usually either with Antonio fishing or practicing with his sword. Why are you asking? You mostly know everyone’s schedule.” Emily’s face went beet red and giggled nervously. “Right,” she muttered before clearing her throat. “I’m going to find Jayden. Maybe he’ll like a walk around the park…”

Mike paused his game and clenched his controller in his hand. What was up with Emily’s sudden interest in Jayden? Did she  _ like _ him? “If you didn’t notice, Jayden went fishing with Antonio,” he stated through clenched teeth. 

“Oh right! Clumsy me!” Emily giggled nervously once more. She began to walk backwards and stated, “Well I’m going to my room and try to rest a bit. All these video games made me a bit tired and delusional!” She skipped down the hallway making Mike scoff and turn back to his video game.

“I can’t let Jayden win Emily’s heart!” Mike muttered as he furiously clicked on the controller. He forgot about the event as he grew excited at his video game. “WIN!” Mike shouted, getting to his feet before yelling in pain, remembering his broken leg. “Ow!” He collapsed into the couch, rubbing his leg before stating, “Still! I won!” 


	13. Kevin's Choice Pt. 1

Emily walked towards her room and tried to open the door, noticing it was locked.  _ Darn _ , she thought, knowing Mia was probably inside. She walked towards Kevin and Mike’s room, noticing that their window was open.  _ Kevin probably opened it to vent the room _ , she thought.  _ Perfect _ . She opened it more and crawled out of the window. 

Emily landed on the ground and crawled under Mia and her room’s window before bolting across the yard and out of the Shiba Compound. She ran deep into the forest, glancing around to see if anyone was following her. After seeing that everything was clear, she took a sharp turn to the left and towards a nearby cave. She walked in, a sinister grin evident in her face as she walked towards a figure. Emily stopped in front of it and kneeled down, backhanding her prisoner.

The blonde woman gasped as the other ‘Emily’ backhanded her. “Wakey, wakey little Emily,” the other Emily cackled. The real Emily tried to scream, but they were muffled by the bandana tied around her mouth. “Aw, you can continue to scream but no one can hear you,” ‘Emily’ mocked before laughing. She watched as Emily writhed around, trying to loosen her bounds. 

‘Emily’ smirked, “Your determination to escape, amuses me.” The real Emily glared at her angrily, saying something but it was muffled. “What was that dear?” ‘Emily’ asked. “I can’t really understand.” Emily loosed the bandana in her mouth and spat, “The Rangers will find me!” 

‘Emily’ laughed. “Really now? I don’t think they’ve noticed you’ve been gone. I’m so good at this acting business, they don’t even notice their real Yellow Ranger is missing.” 

“What?” Emily gasped, tears filling up her eyes. Her friends hadn’t noticed she was missing? How was that even possible? The other Emily turned into a female Nighlok who laughed at the tears trailing down Emily’s face. “I’m enjoying this too much! Serrator’s plan has turned out to be so much fun!” 

Emily opened her eyes wide. “Serrator’s plan?” 

The female Nighlok grinned. “You might be wondering why I’ve tied you up these last few days. I’ve been doing a test run of Serrator’s plan. He came up with a plan to infiltrate you Rangers from the inside. And look how brilliantly this plan worked! I’m inside of the Rangers den!” 

“So, are you going to be me, from now on?” Emily asked, terrified at the thought. The Nighlok laughed before grabbing Emily’s face. “No, being you has been proving, taxing. Besides, we need you alive.” 

Emily pulled away from her grip as the female Nighlok paced around. “No. I will become a new person. A very powerful person. I will become a new ranger, the Purple Ranger. Those Samurai Rangers have a bad habit of being...too much for the Samurai mentor to handle.” 

“Tell me, how come the protection symbols didn’t sound while you’re inside?” Emily asked. “You’re a Nighlok!”

The Nighlok chuckled and neared the Yellow Ranger. “Oh! You’re so smart!” The Nighlok reached towards her neck and showed Emily a small container with a red liquid swirling inside. “This little amulet, disturbs the symbols, making them think I’m a human. It contains the Red Rangers blood which has proved to be very helpful.” The Nighlok shape-shifted into a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. “Today, I become, Ami, the Purple Ranger.” She cackled sinisterly as Emily stared at her in horror. 

"Now," Ami summoned a SpinSword, much to Emily's shock and slashed at the Yellow Rangers bounds. Emily immediately summoned a SpinSword and clashed with Ami. 

“Now, now Emily, don’t try to fight me,” Ami warned with a sneer. “You fight me and you’ll die. Speak and I will slowly and painfully kill the Rangers while you sleep.” Emily clenched her jaw and stepped back, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Good girl,” Ami laughed. “We will see each other soon. Very soon.” Ami disappeared through a gap making Emily collapse into her knees and scream in anger. 

* * *

“Whoa!” Tashiko gasped as she glanced at a park. She watched as children played and people walked with their dogs. A few people rode past her in their bicycles making Tashiko smile. “This is so nice! I didn’t know the city would be so beautiful!” Tashiko stated before noticing that Kevin was in deep thought. 

Kevin still had his mind in the Regional Swimming Championship.  _ Man, I wish I was there, _ he thought.  _ I’m trying not to think about it, but it just keeps popping into my head _ . 

People screaming  interrupted his thoughts and made him glance up to see a Nighlok chasing people. “This looks tasty!” the Nighlok stated as he stretched out his arm and gobbled up a park bench. “Mmm! Delicious!”

“Is that…” Tashiko began, looking at Kevin, fear evident in her eyes. “A Nighlok, yes, it is,” Kevin nodded, taking out his Samuraizer. He was about to morph when a person riding a bicycle fell near him. The Nighlok noticed the citizen who fell and glanced at the bicycle in curiosity. “I wonder what that tastes like!” he said reaching for the bicycle.

The young woman who fell off the bicycle, let out a scream as the Nighlok reached for her bike. Tashiko jumped out of the way while Kevin pushed the citizen out of the Nighlok’s grasp, dropping his Samuraizer. “Nom, nom!” the Nighlok stated as he ate the bicycle. He continued to eat anything around him making Kevin reach for his pocket only to notice he had dropped his Samuraizer. “My Samuraizer!” he gasped in horror as the Nighlok reached for it. 

Tashiko was frozen in horror as she watched the Nighlok about to eat Kevin’s Samuraizer.  _ I can’t be frozen in fear again! _ , she thought. _ I can’t let someone be in danger because I was too scared!  _ She remembered when Jayden and Antonio had put themselves in danger to protect her.  _ I can’t let the Nighlok eat Kevin’s Samuraizer! _

Without her knowing she had shot forward, her eyes focused on the Samuraizer that was on the ground. She didn’t notice the Nighlok’s hand pass by her by a few centimeters. Tashiko grabbed the Samuraizer in time but the Nighlok grabbed her before she could take a few more steps. Panic and fear overwhelmed her, making her scream. “Tashiko!” Kevin yelled, running to her aid. The Nighlok noticed the Blue Ranger approaching him and swung his other arm, slamming it into Kevin, knocking him down. 

“Kevin!” Tashiko yelled before the Nighlok caught her attention. “I believe you have something I want to eat!” Scarf told her, reaching towards her hand. Tashiko accidentally pressed the buttons of the Samuraizer and summoned Kevin’s SpinSword. She stared at the sword in her hands and her mind flashed back, seeing herself fight with a SpinSword. She blinked making the memory fade away but made her heart fill with determination and courage. Tashiko clenched the sword tightly in her hands before stabbing the Nighlok’s arm. Scarf howled in agony, dropping the human girl into the ground. Tashiko grabbed the SpinSword and the Samuraizer before the Nighlok could eat it. “You’re going to pay for that human!” Scarf snarled, extending his hand towards her. Tashiko held the SpinSword in her hands and got into a fighting stance. 

Kevin rubbed his head as he quickly got to his feet, seeing Tashiko holding his SpinSword.  _ What is she… _ He watched wide eyed as Tashiko blocked the Nighlok’s attack with the SpinSword. But without a Ranger suit and power, she was getting pushed back easily. “Tashiko! Throw my Samuraizer!” Kevin shouted at her. Tashiko jumped back, avoiding another of Scarf’s hits before throwing the Samuraizer at Kevin. 

“Catch!” 

The SpinSword disappeared from her hands making the Nighlok slam his arm towards Tashiko, sending her flying as the Nighlok caught the Samuraizer mid air. He ate the Samuraizer before gagging at the bitter taste. “Yuck!” Scarf stated, trying to wipe his tongue. “What did you feed me?” 

“My Samuraizer!” Kevin gasped in shock. 

He couldn’t believe to what he had just witnessed. The Nighlok had eaten his Samuraizer! Now he couldn’t morph into the Blue Ranger. The Nighlok approached the shocked Blue Ranger and said, “Oops! Seems like I ate your Samuraizer Blue Ranger! Prepare to be  _ served _ !” 

“Heads up!” came a yell as Jayden slammed his sword into the Nighlok, driving him away from Kevin. Mia appeared behind Jayden, followed by Antonio. The Gold Ranger was about to join the fight when he noticed Tashiko on the ground. “Tashiko!” he stated, rushing towards her. He shook the teen who groaned, lifting her head up. “Are you okay?” Antonio asked, looking at her worriedly. “I think so,” Tashiko murmured. “My body hurts. The Nighlok hit me too hard.” Antonio blinked.  _ She survived a Nighlok attack? _ , he thought in surprise.  _ Maybe Jayden was right. Maybe Tashiko is special. _

“Antonio we need you!” Mia stated as she was sent flying to the ground. “Right!” Antonio nodded, rushing towards the fight. Scarf slammed the Red and Pink Rangers into the ground before Antonio slashed at him. “Earth Slicer!” came a yell as a Yellow shrunken flew past the other three Rangers. Scarf was knocked off his feet as the shrunken came flying back towards the Yellow Ranger. “Emily!” Mia exclaimed with a relieved smile. 

Despite feeling like crap, Emily had come to her friends aid. Right now she wanted to focus on the Nighlok and push back Ami’s kidnapping to the back of her mind. Scarf quickly got to his feet before noticing that the Green Ranger was missing. “Hey! Where’s Greeny? Is he the one that’s broken?” Emily clenched her jaw and shot forward, swinging her sword at the Nighlok. “That’s none of your concern!” she shouted, slashing at the Nighlok. Scarf wailed as he was sent to the ground once more. 

Cracks began to appear on his body before saying, “You’re lucky Rangers! I’m drying out!” He disappeared through a gap before anyone could stop him. Everyone except Emily powered down and approached Tashiko and Kevin. “He ate it!” Kevin told the others in disbelief. “Ate what?” Mia asked him in concern. Despite still being mad at him and the others, she was worried something bad had happened to Kevin. “The Samuraizer,” Tashiko stated, getting to her feet. She grabbed her ribs painfully as the the Rangers glanced at her. “I threw it and he caught it mid air.” 

“Don’t worry Kevin, it’s going to be okay,” Mia replied, glancing at the Blue Ranger. Kevin clenched his fists and glared at the Pink Ranger. “Okay?” he lashed out. “The Nighlok ate my Samuraizer and you think it’s okay? We are already one ranger short! Now there’s only four rangers! And you think this is okay?” He stormed off leaving the others calling after him. Tashiko ran after the Blue Ranger before the others could stop her. 

Ami watched the whole scene unfold before her.  _ A rift between the rangers huh? _ , she thought with a sneer.  _ Interesting _ . She slinked away, following Tashiko and the Blue Ranger.

* * *

Kevin couldn’t believe how stupid he was in telling Tashiko to throw his Samuraizer at him. If he hadn’t told her that, he would have his Samuraizer in his hands.  _ What am I going to do now? _ , he thought. 

“Kevin! Wait up!”

Kevin turned around to see Tashiko struggling to keep up with him. “Get lost,” Kevin spat, taking off in a run. Tashiko frowned and took off after him, grabbing his arm and pulled him, causing him to stop and spin around to face her. “What do you want Tashiko?” 

“I want you to come back to the Shiba House with the others!” Tashiko stated. “For what? Didn’t you notice the Nighlok eating my Samuraizer?” Kevin growled. “You’re the Blue Ranger!” Tashiko began. “Why do you want me back on the team? I should be in the Cham-” Kevin stopped himself before he could continue and bit his lip. Tashiko noticed that he wasn’t just upset about losing his Samuraizer. “This isn’t just about the Samuraizer is it?”

Kevin turned around, staring at the Recreation Center. “I should be in the Regional Championship, swimming with my swimming team,” Kevin quietly stated. 

“Kevin…” Tashiko began.

“What I am going to do? I’m not the Blue Ranger anymore,” Kevin replied, glancing at the ground. “Kevin, don’t you think that same question crosses my mind?” Tashiko replied. “I have no memory of who I am. I can barely remember my parents. The only thing I can remember is hitting my head with a rock and losing my memory. But do you think I’m going to give up in finding who I am? No!” 

Kevin glanced at Tashiko, staring into her hazel eyes. “Do you think I’m giving up on you, despite losing your Samuraizer? No! Because you’re the Blue Samurai Ranger. And from what I know, the Samurai Rangers, never,  _ ever _ give up. Don’t you dare give up because you lost your Samuraizer! It’s like me giving up because I can’t remember who I am! Your swimming team made it this far without you but the rangers couldn’t if you weren’t there. So stop whining and go out there and do something about it!” 

Tashiko stormed off before Kevin could say anything. 

Kevin sighed, knowing she was right. He was making excuses and not really fighting as a Ranger. He now understood to why Mentor Ji said no contact or distractions from the outside world. “Damn, I’m dumb,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. 

* * *

“You’re back!” Mike stated with a smile as the Rangers returned back to the Shiba House. Emily gaped, seeing Mike awake and on his feet. Tears formed in her eyes as she ran towards the Green Ranger and embraced him tightly. “Whoa!” Mike gasped, blushing as Emily hugged him, trying not to cry. 

“Aw, cute lovebirds!” Antonio smirked, earning a snigger from the others. 

Mike and Emily blushed in embarrassment and were saved from further embarrassment as Mentor Ji walked in. “Rangers, I’m glad you’re here. I have something for you,” Mentor Ji replied as he placed a book on the coffee table. The Rangers glanced at it in confusion, seeing a new mecha formation. “This is the Samurai GigaZord,” Ji explained. “It has all the Zords combined as one.” 

“Whoa,” Antonio breathed. 

“This is amazing, but how do we assemble it?” Mia asked, glancing at Mentor. Mentor Ji took out a disk and placed it on the table. “This disk will help you assemble the GigaZord but be careful. If the GigaZord isn’t formed correctly, you can risk in losing all your Zords.” The rangers exchanged glances. 

Jayden gave a nod. “We’ll take the risk,” he answered, taking the disk and gave it to Antonio. “Antonio, will you assemble the Zords?” Antonio took the disk before shaking his head. “Thanks for the boost of confidence Jay, but I think Kevin will do this job better than me,” Antonio replied, returning him the disk. 

“Hey, where is Kevin?” Mike asked, noticing that the Blue Ranger was nowhere to be seen. “He wants to be left alone for now,” Mia answered. “Why? What happened?” Mike asked. “A Nighlok might have eaten his Samuraizer,” Antonio replied. “And now he feels that he’s useless,” Emily pointed out. “That’s dumb!” Mike protested. “Without him, we wouldn’t have gotten this far!” 

“I know, but, right now, he doesn’t think that,” Mia stated sadly.

* * *

Kevin walked down the hallway of the Recreation Center, seeing his picture in the hallway of fame. He smiled as he walked past it, memories of the great times he had, flooding into his mind. He opened the doors where the swimming pool was located and walked in. The smell of chlorine hit him and he painfully smiled.

How he missed swimming in the pool!

He sat down in one of the benches and watched his teammates swim. Kevin wished he could just jump in and swim once more, back before he was the Blue Ranger. But then he realized that he wouldn’t have meet the others. Mike wouldn’t be his best friend, Emily his little sister or laugh at Antonio’s corny golden jokes, even have a best friend in Jayden. Or even find  _ love  _ with Mia. That’s what Tashiko was telling him. If he hadn’t taken up the mantle of the Blue Ranger, the Rangers would never be where they were at the moment.

A yell interrupted his thoughts and grew alarmed when he saw his friend Noah, holding his leg. He was struggling to keep his head above the water. "Help!"

“He’s got a cramp,” Kevin gasped, noticing no one was around except him. He quickly took off his shirt and ran down the bleachers before diving into the water. He swam towards Noah and helped him towards the edge of the pool. The rest of the swimming team came running hearing the scream and helped Noah out of the water. “Let me go!” Noah shouted as he coughed up water. Kevin got out of the pool, much to the swimming team shock. 

“Kevin?” one of his teammates gasped. 

“I didn’t need your help traitor!” Noah spat at the dark skinned man. “You abandoned us when we needed you the most!”

“Kevin, why did you do it? We needed you,” another of his teammates replied. Kevin looked at them before glancing at the ground. “I’m sorry and...good luck.” He took off before the swimming team could stop him. “That’s what I thought!” Noah yelled as Kevin left. “Coward!” 

Kevin continued to run, not caring as people turned around and looked at him in confusion. He felt worse now, knowing he could never reveal to Noah the real reason he left. He couldn’t tell him he had to leave because he had to take the mantle of the Blue Samurai Ranger. 

_ They could never understand.  _ _ I’m sorry… _ .

* * *

Tashiko was walking around, hoping to find Kevin.  _ Kevin, where are you _ ? She thought as she glanced around. 

Without her knowing, Ami was spying her from a distance.  _ There is she is _ , she thought, extending her nails.  _ There is no escaping me, little girl _ . A gap opened her her and a hand extended towards Ami, pulling her into the Netherworld. 

“What the-” Ami gasped finding herself into the Netherworld and into Serrator’s arms. “Not yet,” he told her. “You’ll get your revenge soon with the girl.” Ami clenched her jaw and pulled herself away from his arms. “I had her!” she snarled. “And you’ll have her closer,” Serrator stated, raising his voice. “I want you to appear to the rangers today. I want you to become the Purple Ranger.” 


	14. Kevin's Choice Pt. 2

The Gap sensor went off, making the four Samurai Rangers run towards the Common Room, where Ji had the location of the Nighlok. “It’s Scarf. He’s at the plaza,” Ji informed them. “You know the drill,” Jayden told the others as they ran out of the Shiba House, morphing as they went. 

Mike walked towards the door with his crutches. “I hope they’ll be alright,” the Green Ranger stated. “We are 2 rangers short, now that Kevin ran off.”

“I know,” Mentor Ji nodded. “But I know Kevin will make the right choice at the end.” 

The Rangers arrived at the plaza, seeing Scarf eating everything at his sight. “Yum! Yum!” the Nighlok stated as he munched a car. “Hey Nighlok!” Jayden yelled and Scarf turned around to glance at the Rangers. “Uh oh!” Scarf stated, taking a step back in horror. Jayden clipped the Black Box into his SpinSword and yelled, “Super Samurai Mode!” A red light bathed the Red ranger and a white cape appeared on his suit. “We need to find Kevin’s Samuraizer before we destroy him!” Jayden ordered. 

An idea popped into Emily’s head and took out her Samuraizer, dialing Kevin’s number. “Emily, what are you doing?” Mia asked, glancing at the Yellow ranger. “Calling Kevin’s Samuraizer!” Emily replied. “Great idea Em!” Antonio smiled. 

Kevin’s Samuraizer began to ring, making the Yellow Ranger smirk. “It’s coming from his right arm!” Mia yelled, swinging her Sky Fan into an arc. Jayden jumped towards Scarf, slashing at the Nighlok’s arm, only for it to be blocked by a sword. He glanced up to his horror to see who had blocked his attack. “No,” Jayden stated in a shaky voice. “You, you can’t be….” 

* * *

“What?” Ami snarled. “You want me to advance your scheme so quickly?” “Yes,” Serrator replied, circling the shapeshifting Nighlok. “I want you to appear as their new Ranger, Uragiri.” 

“What do you want me to do? Be all lovey dovey, become their new bff?” Ami growled. “No,” Serrator growled, narrowing his eyes. “I want you to find  _ everything _ about them. Don’t kill them, not yet. Break their hope.” Ami scoffed and said, “Consider it done.” She disappeared through a gap before reappearing near the Shiba House. “Oh Serrator, you fool. You didn’t say that I couldn’t kill Tashiko,” Ami stated with a wicked smile. She shape shifted into a human girl before walking towards the Rangers home. 

Serrator turned around to find Kameyo standing behind him. “What do you want, Kameyo?” 

“I have a suggestion, Master,” Kameyo replied as Serrator walked towards Master Xandred’s ship. “What is it?” Serrator asked, growing interested in Kameyo’s idea. “Well,” Kameyo began, feeling her cheeks growing warm under the older Nighlok’s gaze. “I overheard Ami talking about the new girl, Tashiko. I suggest that we kidnap her and take her away from the Rangers. We can kill her or something, that’ll make the Rangers grow worried or sad-” 

“Or make them angry and come after us,” Serrator interrupted. “That would be a fool's errand.” 

“Not really,” came a voice and they turned to find Hideo leaning against a rock. “I actually like Kameyo’s idea. But I have a better candidate for that plan,” Hideo stated. Kameyo beamed at Hideo’s acknowledgement. 

“Who do you have in mind?” Serrator asked. “The Yellow Ranger has a dying sister, Serena. She was supposed to be the Yellow Ranger. We can bring that weakling as bait,” Hideo replied. “We can even add the little wanna be Ranger into the mix.” 

“The Rangers will want both of them back,” Kameyo added before laughing, “Maybe one of them can die." Serrator smiled, liking where this was going. “That plan might go well. I will give it some thought.” 

* * *

“Dekker’s alive?” Antonio whispered in horror. 

“Well, well,” Dayu stated, walking forward as well. “Look at we have here. The four lonely Rangers. Serrator was right. Your Green is injured and your Blue probably ran off.” The female Nighlok laughed before glancing at the Pink Ranger. “Hello, Pink. Don’t we have some business to settle?” “I believe we do,” Mia stated, getting into a fighting stance. 

“Well Red Ranger,” Dekker began, pushing Jayden off his sword. “I hope you are getting stronger. Our duel is not over yet.” Jayden clenched his jaw and growled, “How are you alive?” 

”Uramasa took the fatal blow,” Dekker answered, showing the Red Ranger his temporary sword. “Right now, it’s getting fixed, so soon, we can finish what we started.” 

Dayu circled the Pink Ranger and mocked, “I hope Blue is okay. Oh wait! He ran away like a coward because he lost his precious toy!” Mia clenched her teeth angrily, trying to calm down and not shoot forward and attack the Nighlok. “Oh? Did I hit a nerve?” Dayu cackled, seeing how angry Mia was getting.

“Shut up!” Emily yelled, slashing at the female Nighlok. Dayu was caught off guard and blocked the sudden attack. “Don’t talk about Kevin like that!” Emily cried, slashing at the Nighlok who blocked her attacks. “Stay out of this Yellow!” Dayu snarled, slashing at Emily, sending her flying to the ground. “Emily!” Mia yelled, rushing to her aid but Dayu blocked her path. “Did you forget our little fight?!”

“No I did not!” Mia snapped, attacking the Nighlok. 

* * *

Tashiko somehow ended on the park once more and glanced around. “Kevin!” she called. “Kevin!” She looked around, before finding a sole figure sitting on a swing. “Kevin?” Tashiko murmured, running towards the dark skinned man. Kevin, hearing his name being called, glanced up to find Tashiko looking at him. “Tashiko?”

“Kevin! There you are!” Tashiko stated, embracing the Blue Ranger. “You have to come back to the Shiba House!”

“I can’t,” Kevin protested. “I don’t have my Samuraizer.” 

“Stop being a stubborn!” Tashiko shouted before gasping. She staggered back as she clutched her head as memory appeared in her mind. 

_ "Please don't go," the Purple Ranger stated, pulling on the Gold Ranger's arm. He turned to look at her, giving her a sad smile. "I have too." _

_ "There's a chance you could die!" she shouted at him.  _

_ "I don't care," the Gold Ranger replied. "I don't care if I have to give up my life to protect the person I cherish."  _

" _Please, don't go." the Purple Ranger whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't go."_

_The Gold Ranger kissed her forehead and whispered, "Goodbye."_

_"NO! Antonio! Antonio!" she shouted as the Gold Ranger vanished from sight._

* * *

“Tashiko!” Kevin shouted, bringing her back to the present. “Are you okay?” 

Tashiko panted in horror, not believing what she had witnessed.  _ Why did I just see Antonio leave? Why didn’t I want him to leave? Why do I… _ She clenched her shirt where her heart was.  _ Why did I feel like my heart broke into pieces? _

“Tashiko?” Kevin asked worriedly. The hazel eyed girl closed her eyes and said, “If it was someone else, they would give up their life to fight a Nighlok, in order to protect the person they most cherish.”  Tashiko clenched her fists.

“The person they most cherish?” Kevin repeated. 

“Yes,” Tashiko stated, that memory still fresh in her mind. She suddenly remembered standing before Antonio’s dead body, crying her soul out. How Jayden gave up his life to protect the Purple Ranger from Xandred’s final blow. “People like Jayden would give up their life to protect the people he cherishes the most, which is all of you Rangers.” Tashiko felt tears streaming down her cheeks and said, “I would give up my life to protect those precious to me. I couldn't bare for them to give up their life….I would give up my life to Jayden. Maybe even….” She blushed between her tears and whispered, “Maybe even Antonio.” 

“But, you can’t! You don’t have the power to do so!” Kevin shot back. “It doesn’t matter!” Tashiko shouted back. “Strength and power isn’t needed to protect those you cherish! Bravery and determination it’s what needed to protect them! Qualities you are lacking!” Tashiko glared at the Blue Ranger. “How would you protect Mia if she’s in danger? Would you let her die while you sulk about losing your Samuraizer? Or do you have the determination to protect her no matter the cause, even if it meant your last breath?!” Kevin eyes went wide, seeing her angry hazel eyes and knew she was right. It was time to stop being a coward and to face his problem head on.

Starting with getting his Samuraizer back. 

* * *

Mia pushed Dayu off her while Jayden exchanged blows with Dekker. Antonio and Emily meanwhile where fighting Scarf, trying to get the Blue Rangers Samuraizer back. 

“This is harder than I thought!” Emily exclaimed blocking another of the Nighloks attack. Antonio was knocked off his feet and thrown into Emily, knocking them both down. “Crap!” Antonio stated, quickly getting to his feet and helped Emily up. “We need to hit his arm together!”

“Alright!” Emily nodded shooting forward.

Kevin and Tashiko arrived at the plaza, seeing the Rangers fighting with Scarf, Dayu and Dekker. “Tashiko! Get away from the battlefield!” Kevin ordered as he ran into the fight. Tashiko took a step back, knowing she couldn’t do anything but watch. 

Mia slashed at Dayu before noticing Kevin running into the battlefield. “Kevin!” Mia gasped, relieved that the Blue Ranger had returned. But Dayu slashed at her, causing her suit to spark as the female Nighlok snarled, “Never take your eyes off the fight, Pink Ranger!” 

Antonio slashed at Scarf once more, before noticing Kevin running towards him. “Antonio! We need Kevin’s Samuraizer! Now!” Emily stated, turning to Scarf who was blocking the Gold Rangers attack. “On the count of three!” Antonio replied, doing his Slash Maneuver. “One! Two!” “Three!” Emily shouted as the Gold and Yellow Rangers swung in an arc, slicing Scarf’s arm off. The Nighlok howled in agony, grabbing his arm as Emily grabbed Kevin’s Samuraizer and threw it at the Blue Ranger. Kevin caught it and yelled, “Go, go Samurai!” A blue light bathed him as he morphed into the Blue Samurai Ranger. “Hydro Bow!” he shouted, summoning his bow. He fired at Dayu, making her stagger back from the impacts of his water arrows. 

“Kevin!” Mia cried, rushing towards him and embraced him. “You’re back!” She glanced at him as he smiled at her. “I came back to protect those I cherish,” he answered before turning back to the fight. “Dekker!” Dayu yelled as she clenched her danto. Dekker slashed at Jayden’s chest, knocking the Red Ranger down. 

Suddenly, both Half-Nighlok’s spun around at the unsuspecting Scarf, slashing at him and ending his first life. “What?” Jayden gaped, not believing what he had just witnessed. “They just killed...the Nighlok,” Emily whispered, wide eyed. The Nighlok suddenly reappeared in his Mega sized form and towered over the city with a loud cackle. “Now, I’m really going to eat!” Scarf noted. 

“We have to form the MegaZord and from there, we form the GigaZord,” Jayden told the others. “Wait? You want to form the GigaZord?” Kevin asked Jayden, shock evident in his brown eyes. He had read during his studies that the GigaZord was an enhanced form of the MegaZord, that went beyond any MegaZord formation. Basically, it was the ultimate transformation the MegaZord could achieve. The risk was, that if they made one mistake while forming it, that raw power would backfire on them and destroy their Zords in the process. 

“We all decided it would be worth the risk,” Mia replied. “There’s only one vote left.” 

“Kevin, would you take the risk to take us through the steps and form the GigaZord?” Jayden asked. The Blue Ranger glanced to see the determined faces of his teammates. He closed his eyes and gave a nod. Jayden smiled as they summoned the MegaZord. 

“Claw Armor MegaZord! We are united!” 

The Rangers appeared in a flash of light, piloting the mecha, ready to defeat Scarf’s second form. The MegaZord shot forward, slashing at Scarf but the Nighlok summoned a shield, blocking the mecha’s attack. “A shield?” Antonio stated surprised. “When did he get that?” Mia’s eyes grew wide, knowing that earlier the Nighlok didn’t have a shield. She began to piece everything together, now learning of Dayu and Dekker’s real plan: destroy Scarf! 

“Scarf probably got it when Dekker and Dayu destroyed his first form,” Mia stated as the MegaZord shook with Scarf’s counterattack. “Then we destroy that shield!” Jayden answered moving the MegaZord forward. “Double Katana Slash!” But Scarf’s shield absorbed the attack. “Damn!” Antonio cursed, slamming a fist into the cockpit. “It’s not working! What do we do?” Emily asked, glancing at the rangers. 

Kevin felt beads of sweat drip down the sides of his head.  _ Think, Kevin think! How can we assemble the GigaZord? _ He was running out of time. He could make no mistake and make the rangers loose all their Zords.  _ I’ve read every book of the Shiba House, twice, maybe even thrice! _ He closed his eyes, biting his lip before they snapped open. “That’s it!” Kevin shouted, making the rangers glance at him. “We have to use the BullZord disk to summon the GigaZord!” 

“Are you sure, Kevin?” Mia asked worriedly. “Yes!” Kevin replied, looking at the rangers in the cockpit. “It’s a huge risk,” Antonio began. “We can lose all the Zords.”

“I know, but we have to try!” Kevin answered. “I know we can pull this off.” Jayden took out the BullZord disk and glanced at Kevin. “Alright Kev, you’re the Zord’s man.” Kevin gave a nod. “First we have to summon all the Zords.” His mind was racing on the plan he was quickly forming but was interrupted as Scarf slammed into the MegaZord. The Rangers yelled as they were thrown around the cockpit. “Codisk!” Jayden yelled, summoning a white disk. He placed it on top of a black one and was about to close the Black Box when Scarf hit the MegaZord sending the Rangers flying around. Jayden hesitated in closing the box and take the risk of summoning the GigaZord. He felt Kevin’s hand on his shoulder and said, “Trust me.” Jayden glanced at the disk and said, “Well, here goes nothing!” He slammed the Black Box closed and regained his composure. 

“We will be tapping into all the Zord’s power,” Kevin told the others. “Ready?” 

“Ready!” the others shouted. “Then make the call!” Kevin stated.

“Ultimate Samurai Combination!” Jayden yelled, hearing a roar as all the Zords came rushing towards the MegaZord, blasting and knocking Scarf down. The MegaZord transformed into the Samurai GigaZord making the rangers feel a surge of power. “Samurai GigaZord! We are united!” they all yelled out. 

“We did it!” Emily gasped, bouncing at her cockpit. “Good job Kevin!” Mia smiled making the Blue Ranger blush in embarrassment. “Alright! Let’s finish this Nighlok!” Jayden ordered. “Tiger Drill Charge!” The GigaZord summoned the Tiger Drill, drilling the Nighlok with the TigerZord. 

“Claw Pincher Slash!” Antonio yelled, as the ClawZord slashed at Scarf’s shield with its claws. “His shield is weakening!” Emily stated. “Let’s deliver the final blow!” Jayden replied. “Samurai Slash!” the four rangers shouted, as the GigaZord slashed at Scarf’s shield, breaking it in half. 

“Next, we have to use our Symbol Power to finish him off!” Kevin declared. “But we will need Mike’s symbol power!” Mia stated worriedly. 

Suddenly a flash of light appeared in the cockpit, making everyone glance at the newcomer, only for their shock to find Mike. “I heard somebody calling my name,” Mike smirked making the rangers grin at him. “Mike! How…” Emily began wide eyed. Mike raised his crutches and chuckled, “Well, I can’t really morph and fight, but I can lend you my symbol power.”

“Good,” Jayden smirked. “Let’s do this.” 

“Jayden, you start first,” Kevin ordered. “Right,” Jayden nodded, raising his Samuraizer. “Tigerzord! Lionzord!” 

Kevin raised his Samuraizer next and began to draw the kanji for his Zords. “Dragonzord! Swordfish Zord!”

“Turtlezord!” Mia spoke next, drawing her kanji. 

“Bearzord! Beetlezord!” Mike yelled, taking out his Samuraizer.

“Apezord!” Emily called out.

“Clawzord! Octozord!” Antonio stated.

“Symbol Power! Ultimate Combination!” they all yelled. 

The symbols they had drawn surrounded them before expanding outside of the GigaZord. “Since this Nighlok is tough, let’s add a little spice,” Jayden stated as he inserted the BullZord disk into his belt. A light covered the Red ranger as he yelled, “Shogun Mode! Power of the Ancestors!” Jayden transformed into the Red Shogun and said, “Let’s finish off this freak! Shogun Ranger Flyer!” 

“Symbol Power! Ranger strike!” they all yelled out as the power of all the Zords blasted into Scarf, blowing him into smithereens. 

“Samurai Rangers! Victory is ours!” Jayden stated, as the GigaZord powered down. 

* * *

Tashiko bounced around in excitement as the Rangers walked towards her. “That was so epic!” she shouted, talking so fast about what she saw, she made the Rangers laugh. “It’s the first time I saw you all fight, so close up!” Tashiko giggled. “Yes, but that was dangerous,” Jayden declared, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You could have been seriously hurt.” 

“Next time, you’ll be in the Shiba House, watching the battle from there.” 

Tashiko pouted and crossed her arms across her chest. “Hey! No fair! I made Kevin change his mind! I made him fight the Nighlok without his Samuraizer!” 

“That’s true,” Mia chuckled, glancing at Kevin. “What did she do to make you change your mind,  _ mi amigo _ ?” Antonio asked curiously. Kevin smiled and said, “She made me remember why and what I’m fighting for. I fight to protect the innocent and the world.” He glanced at Mia’s chocolate brown eyes and said, “And she made me remember, to fight for the person I most cherish.” Mia blushed bright red making the other Rangers smile and coo at them. “Aw!” Mike cooed making Emily elbow him. “C’mon!” Emily said marching past the Rangers, hearing an ice cream truck. “You all promised Tashiko ice cream if we won.” 

“You did?” Tashiko gasped, turning around to glance at the Rangers. “We did?” the others echoed confused. “Yes, you did!” Emily stated, grabbing Tashiko’s hand and pulling her. “Let’s get ice cream!” 

“Yay!” Tashiko replied, surprised that Emily was being nice to her again. Maybe, her bad mood finally lifted off the Yellow Ranger. 

“What’s your favorite ice cream?” 

“Cookies and cream!” 

  
The other rangers sighed in defeat. Kevin watched the two girls leave and smiled. This is what Tashiko wanted him to see. He knew that there wasn’t a chance he would compete with his teammates ever again, he had a new life now. He was a Samurai Ranger, a Ranger who swore to protect the innocent and save lives. Seeing Tashiko and Emily laugh, seeing his friends enjoying the walk, was a reminder to why and who he was fighting for.    
  



	15. I want to be a Power Ranger

The Rangers had returned home after eating ice cream. “Man, I’m tired,” Mike stated, walking towards a couch and plopped down. He placed his crutches beside him before Emily sat beside him. “Well, you did walk a lot with your crutches. Your arms must really hurt,” Emily told him. “Not only that,” Mike added, rubbing his ribs. “I think imma have bruises.” 

“I’m glad you made the right choice,” Mia told Kevin as they walked toward the kitchen to put away the ice cream tubs they bought. “I’m glad I did too,” Kevin replied, giving her a smile as he opened the fridge and placed the ice cream inside. “I guess I need to thank Tashiko for changing your mind,” Mia smiled. “Yeah,” Kevin chuckled. “That kid helped me remind myself to why and who I’m fighting for.” Mia blushed and said, “She’s a good kid. I hope soon, she can remember who she is.” 

“I hope so too,” Kevin replied, taking Mia’s hand. 

Jayden overheard their conversation as he leaned against the wall and sighed.  _ She’s the Purple Ranger _ , he thought.  _ One day, she’ll find out. One day. _

Antonio was fixing his fishing cart to go fish tomorrow, humming a song while he did it.

“Nice song,” came a voice, scaring the Gold Ranger out of his skin. 

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Antonio turned around to find Tashiko’s face red as a tomato. “It’s alright,” Antonio replied, embarrassed he had been scared so easily. “Uh, I was just passing by,” Tashiko replied, taking a few steps back, making her way back to the hallway. “Sorry if I bothered you.” She bolted out of the storage room before Antonio could say anything and locked herself in her room. 

  
Tashiko could feel her face as burning in embarrassment and her heart racing faster than a race car.  _ Oh my God. What the hell was that? _ , she internally groaned, mentally slapping herself.  _ Why did I do that? Why did I feel the urge to go talk to him? _ Tashiko remembered the vision of Antonio leaving the Purple Ranger as he went to fight by himself.  _ Do I... _ like _ him? Or are my feelings getting confused with these...memories..dreams? _ Tashiko got off her door and collapsed into bed, confused with all the feelings she was starting to feel. 

_ What if...I’m starting to like him? _

* * *

The next day, the Rangers had woken up to the smell of breakfast. Tashiko was brushing her hair and tying it into pigtails before rushing out of her room. She found Mike watching the TV, gaping at it in excitement. “Good morning Mike,” Tashiko called out to him. “Morning,” Mike replied, not taking his eyes off the TV. Tashiko rolled her eyes and shook her head. It was eight in the morning, with the sun beginning to shine through the windows of the Shiba House and Mike was already watching TV. 

Mia made her way towards the Common room, finding Tashiko and Mike talking. “Good morning guys. Come eat breakfast. I made it myself.” Mike gave her a look of horror making Mia roll her eyes and cross her arms across her chest. “Yes. I made it but I followed a recipe,” Mia added making Mike sigh in relief. Tashiko glanced between the two Rangers, feeling like she missed something big. She decided not to question it, and followed the Pink Ranger into the dining room. Tashiko found the others already eating breakfast and smiled at them. She sat between Emily and Jayden and served her plate. 

“The eggs and bacon are delicious Mia,” Emily told the Pink Ranger. “Thank you!” Mia beamed as she sat beside Kevin, making Mike snicker. Kevin shot him a glance making the others laugh. Tashiko smiled, giggling before glancing at Jayden who seemed to be playing with his food. She grew worried and placed her hand on his. “Are you okay?” she asked the Red Ranger. Jayden glanced up as the others continued to talk and shook his head. “Not really,” he answered in a quiet voice. “I had a bad dream.” 

Tashiko shot a quick glance, seeing the others busy talking before glancing back at Jayden. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not at the moment, but I do need to ask you something in private,” Jayden replied. Tashiko blinked, looking at him confused and said, “Can that be later? I kinda wanted to go for a walk after I eat breakfast.” Jayden gave a nod. “Just don’t go too far from the Shiba House.”

“I won’t!” Tashiko smiled at him making Jayden crack a smile as well.

After breakfast, Tashiko went for a walk in the forest. She walked in a slow, pace glancing around at the forest that surrounded the Shiba House.  _ Almost feels like the forest that was near Cody’s house _ , Tashiko thought, a wave of nostalgia hitting her.  _ How I wish I could go visit them _ . She glanced at the locket around her neck and traced her fingers over the writing. 

“It’s a beautiful locket, isn’t it?” came a voice, scaring Tashiko out of her skin. She spun around to find Hideo standing behind her with his golden staff in hand. “Hideo!” she gasped, wide eyed. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Raikou-Hime?” Hideo replied with a smile. “What, what are you doing here?” Tashiko asked, glancing around to see if any of the Rangers had followed her. “It’s fine Tashiko, none of the Rangers are around here,” Hideo replied, sensing her nervousness. He grew deadly serious and said, “Tashiko listen to what I have to say. It’s very important.” That caught Tashiko’s attention and glanced at Hideo. “What is it?” she asked, growing worried.

“I came to warn you about Ami,” Hideo began. “She’s a shapeshifting Nighlok, an imposter, who’s trying to kill the Rangers from the inside.” “Ami?” Tashiko asked, frowning. “Yes, her name is Ami,” Hideo nodded. “She will appear as a human girl, declaring she’s the Purple Ranger. She’s extremely dangerous Tashiko, she will not hesitate to kill the rangers, or you. Avoid confronting her, don’t try to fight her.” 

“Okay,” Tashiko nodded. “Do you know when she’s coming?” 

“Any time,” Hideo shrugged, taking Tashiko’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Be careful, Tashiko. Don’t tell anyone else this.”

“But, the others need to know she’s an imposter!” Tashiko began. “No, if she finds out, you or someone else knows of her plan, she will  _ kill _ you,” Hideo replied, panic evident in his voice. Tashiko stared at the Nighlok, seeing that even he, was deadly afraid of this  _ Ami _ . “I won’t,” she whispered. “Good,” Hideo sighed in relief. “Emily knows of her existence, please, take care of her.” 

“Wait, how does Emily know of this?” Tashiko asked wide eyed. “Ami was Emily for a few days,” Hideo stated. “She kidnapped Emily during their stay at the Guardian’s home. She was tied and hidden in a cave that even I couldn’t have access to.”

“So, the Emily that was being mean and stuff….wasn’t Emily at all?” Tashiko gasped in horror. “Exactly,” Hideo nodded. Tashiko was beginning to piece everything together. Emily being mean and angry all the time, being  _ not _ Emily. 

“Ami told Emily all about the plan. The Yellow Ranger knows of Emily’s true intentions. She’s just too scared to talk about it.”

Tashiko bit her lip, know seeing why the Yellow Ranger was sticking so much with the Green Ranger. She wanted comfort, wanted to feel safe. She couldn’t imagine what the poor girl had through during her kidnapping. “Alright,” Tashiko nodded. “Tashiko, protect Emily, please,” Hideo begged. “She’s a really important person...to me.” Tashiko blinked surprised and suspicious of his request. “Why is Emily suddenly so important to you?” she asked out of curiosity. Hideo turned away and said, “That story is for another time, but for now, I want your to train with the rangers and become as strong as you can. You’ll need that knowledge to fight against Ami, if that time ever comes.” 

Tashiko gave a nod and said, “I promise Hideo.” Hideo gave her a warm smile before disappearing through a gap. 

Tashiko returned from her informative talk to Hideo to find Jayden standing at the gates, waiting for her. “Walk with me?” the Red Ranger told her as they walked into the forest. A silence fell between the two of them before Tashiko cleared her throat and said, “Jayden. I know how you say I’m the Purple Range-” 

“You are the Purple ranger,” Jayden interrupted, shooting a glance at the teen. “Jayden, please,” Tashiko groaned. “I don’t even know if that’s even true.” 

“It is!” Jayden shot back, stopping and glancing at her. “I’ve seen you in my dreams! I’ve seen you transform into the Purple Ranger!” 

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Tashiko argued. “They could be just dreams! The point of this is…” She took a deep breath before exhaling, glancing at the ground. “I want to be a Ranger.” 

Jayden blinked, taken aback at her request. “What?” he stated. “You want to be a Ranger? But, you’re a Ranger!” 

“I’m not the Purple Samurai!” Tashiko cried, exasperated at his insistence that she was the Purple Ranger. “Fine,” Jayden stated, raising a hand for her to stop talking. “I won’t mention that you’re the Purple Ranger. But, I will let you train as a Ranger. Perhaps, with the training it will jog your memory and make you remember that you’re already a Ranger.” He saw the glare the younger teen was giving him. “I didn’t mention Purple Samurai, did I?” 

She rolled her eyes and hugged herself. “Purple Ranger or not, I want to be a Ranger. I know the risk you all take, the challenges, the Nighlok.” “Whoa, whoa,” Jayden waved his hands in front of him. “I said train, not be a Ranger.” He knew it could be useful to have another Ranger, since they were one short but he couldn’t risk throwing Tashiko into danger. She was a sweet, innocent girl with a big heart. “Please,” Tashiko begged, glancing at Jayden. The Red Ranger glanced at her and instantly regretted it. He groaned, seeing she had learned something from the Yellow Ranger. 

That darn puppy dog face. 

Jayden rubbed his face, groaning before giving in. “Fine.” Her hazel eyes instantly lighted up and she started to bounce in place. “Thank you Jayden! You won’t regret it!” She hugged the Red Ranger, catching him off guard before he hugged her back. “I can’t wait to tell the others!” Tashiko squealed, racing off back to the Shiba House. 

* * *

Ami glanced at her hand as a few floating symbols surrounded her. She was at the human world, close at the Shiba House but far away that they couldn’t sense her presence. “I hope you remain quiet, Emily,” she stated with a dark chuckle. “We were once best friends, but that changed since my death and rebirth as Nighlok. If I find out, you opened your mouth…” The kanji for suffer floated into her hand and she destroyed it in her hand. “You are going to suffer.” She began to laugh maniacally as Hideo heard her from behind some rocks. 

He knew Serrator’s plan was already advancing faster than what it was originally planned.  _ Guess I’ll have to advance mine as well _ , Hideo thought.  _ Damn this curse. If only I was human again… _ He slammed a fist into the ground angrily making Ami glance around at the noise. She sensed that she wasn’t alone in the forest before glancing at a large rock behind her. She raised her hand and blasted the rock, destroying it. 

Hideo had dived to the side in time before getting blown to smithereens. He tried to sit up only to be slammed down by an unseen force. “Well, well, seems like Hideo is spying on me,” Ami smirked. Hideo tried to break free, but only got forced down to the ground. “You know you can’t escape me.” 

“Stop this!” Hideo snarled. “Don’t hurt them! Don’t hurt Emily!” 

“So this is what this is about,” Ami stated, cocking her head to her side. “It’s been quite a while and you’re still going on about this.” 

“And I will continue,” Hideo growled, glaring at Ami. “This is what I get for saving your ass a few weeks back. How ungrateful,” Ami replied, slamming her hand down, driving Hideo more into the ground. “I don’t care if I go on about this an eternity!” Hideo declared. “I will never stop until she’s safe! I failed to protect her last time, but next time I won’t fail!” 

Ami laughed before saying, “That’s not what happened last time. You let her die and chose to protect  _ her. _ ” Ami leaned down, her face close to Hideo’s. “Don’t blame me for your petty mistakes.”

“That wasn’t petty,” Hideo stated. “That choice gave us a second chance. I will protect her and I won’t let her fall into your hands once more.” 

Ami roared in laughter before saying, “You can’t protect her from me. I am the most powerful Nighlok in the Netherworld.” Hideo let out a chuckle. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he replied. “We both know you aren’t as powerful as Xandred. A half runt like you, could never be as powerful as a full blooded Nighlok.” Ami’s yellow eyes flared and grabbed the other Half-Nighlok off the ground. “You know, I could kill your right now,” Ami growled lowly. “I could easily crush your throat, stab you through your heart and rip it out!” 

Hideo felt himself weakening by the lack of air and suddenly turned into his human form. His long brown hair reached his shoulders and his face had a beard. His green eyes glared into Ami’s yellow ones and Ami whispered, “You’re like me, a Half-Nighlok’s bent on suffering in this cruel world. We are the same.”

“We are anything but the same,” Hideo whispered, grabbing into Ami’s hand. “I’m trying to save humanity. You want humanity to suffer. You want it to see it destroyed.” Ami laughed. “That’s why I’m the better Nighlok. I lost my  _ soft _ human heart. I am no longer weakened by those _ human _ emotions. I am a Nighlok in heart, body and soul. Compared to you, Hideo, those human emotions weaken and cloud your judgement.”

“Need to remind you, that you had a human fiancé, Ami,” Hideo spat. Ami tightened the grip on Hideo’s throat, making him close his eyes. “A fiancé that left me to die!” Ami snarled. “That’s why I’m going to make those miserable rangers suffer with everything I have, until my last, dying, breath!” She threw Hideo into the ground as he coughed, rubbing his throat. “Your human half, makes you weak Hideo,” Ami declared, glaring at him with her yellow eyes. “That  _ human _ part rejects your Nighlok half. If you ever want to beat me, suppress that  _ soft, weak _ human heart.” Ami spun around, disappearing through a gap. 

Hideo continued to rub his throat before standing on shaky legs. “I will beat you Ami, but I will never turn like you. A heartless, soulless, monster.” He coughed before glancing at a puddle, seeing that he turned into his human form.  _ Dammit, I can’t return to the Netherworld like this _ , he thought.  _ Guess, I have to go back to my hideout. _

* * *

“Guess what?” Tashiko said, bouncing around the rangers. “What is it?” Emily asked in curiosity. “I’m going to train with you to become a Ranger!” The Rangers opened their eyes wide in surprise before glancing at Jayden who was walking in. “Really?” Emily gasped before bouncing as well. “C’mon! I’ll show the basic training I learned when I first trained!” The Yellow Ranger took Tashiko way from the others as the other Rangers glanced at Jayden for an explanation.

“You’re letting her train as a Ranger?” Kevin asked, completely confused. “She has potential and she knows the risks,” Jayden responded. “She isn’t going to join us in real battles, is she?” Mia asked worriedly. “No,” Jayden shook his head, glancing at Tashiko who was talking with Emily. “We can’t risk her life like that.”

“Good,” Kevin stated in relief. “C’mon Mia. Want a quick match?” 

“You’re on,” Mia winked at the Blue Ranger as they walked over towards the mats. 

“Please don’t tell me this is a way to prove to us that she’s the Purple Ranger,” Antonio warned, looking at Jayden. He chuckled and said, “Well maybe, but she’s the one who asked me to be trained.”

“And you’re letting her?” Antonio replied as the Red Ranger shrugged. “What’s the harm? She’s only training, not going into the battlefield,” Jayden answered. Antonio sighed, knowing there was no way to change Jayden’s mind and he only hoped for the best.

He just hoped that Tashiko wouldn’t go into the battlefield. 

* * *

Serrator and Kameyo were watching from afar, the large ranch that was being tended by a couple. “Your plan is becoming more brilliant by the second,” Serrator smirked. He watched a blonde haired woman in her 40’s, grab a bag of feed as a flock of chickens approached her. “Ah, there she is! It’s the old Yellow Ranger!” 

“I wonder if she still has a fighting spirit,” Kameyo smirked. “If not, then capturing Serena will be too easy.” 

“Don’t underestimate an old ranger, Kameyo,” Serrator replied, glancing at the Nighlok. “Those are the most dangerous ones.” He turned back around to see Emily’s dad pass by with his tractor, waving at his wife who waved back. “Her husband is weak. It will be extremely easy to take him out.” 

Emily’s mom left the chickens and grabbed another feed to go feed the pigs. “We’ll wait a few days and observe them,” Serrator declared. “Then we will make our move.” Kameyo gave a nod as they both disappeared through a gap. 


	16. Dreams

Tashiko dodged the attack that Emily threw her at her before sidestepping and swinging her wooden katana at Emily’s side. The Yellow Ranger blocked her attack making Tashiko smirk. The two girls attacked each other, each blow matching each other. “I knew you would go easy on me,” Tashiko taunted. “But I think you took it too far.” 

Tashiko dodged another attack making the Yellow Ranger smirk. “Okay then, Ms. Knowitall,” Emily stated. “Here comes the more...harder part.” The Yellow Ranger’s attack suddenly became more aggressive and more faster. 

It had been a full week since Tashiko asked to be trained by the Rangers and so far she was going great. 

“C’mon block them!” Mike shouted at Tashiko. 

“Slash at her side!” Kevin yelled. 

Tashiko felt beads of sweat drip down her forehead as she blocked Emily’s attacks. They locked wooden katana’s and stared at each other, panting. The Yellow Ranger stared into Tashiko’s hazel eyes and her smile disappeared. Panic and fear entered her body as her mind flashed back with Ami, who taunted her while she was kidnapped.

The exact same way, Tashiko was. 

Tashiko gently nudged Emily’s katana, telling her she was ready. Emily snapped out of her thoughts and attacked Tashiko more aggressively. The other girl struggled to block the attacks before a shot of pain went through her leg as Emily hit her knee. “Ow!” she cried, falling to one knee. She hoped that with her yell, the Yellow Ranger was done attacking but she was deadly wrong. 

Tashiko glanced up to see Emily raising the wooden katana high in the air for an overhead attack. The younger girl quickly raised her wooden katana, just as it made contact with Emily’s. The impact split Emily’s katana in half, causing Tashiko to stare at the Yellow Ranger in horror. Emily glanced at Tashiko angrily before seeing Tashiko’s fear filled eyes. She took a step back, her eyes watering, realizing what she had done. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, covering her mouth in horror. “You, you look so much like her.” 

Tashiko stood up with a limp and asked, “Like who? Ami?” Emily’s head snapped up and her gaze locked with Tashiko’s. “W-What?” 

“I know what Ami did to you,” Tashiko replied. “I can help you.” 

“No...No...NO!” Emily shook her head in disbelief, taking a few steps back. “She can’t know! She can’t know! She’ll kill them!”

“Emily!” Tashiko began, approaching the Yellow Ranger, but the blonde responded back by kicking her in the stomach. 

Tashiko gasped winded and collapsed to her knees doubling over. 

“Tashiko!” Jayden called, rushing towards her. She felt the Red Rangers hands helping her to her feet, as she watched the Yellow Ranger run back inside of the Shiba House.  _ Ow, that really hurt _ .  _ She kicks so hard despite being tiny _ , she thought. 

“Are you okay?” Jayden asked as Tashiko nodded. “I’m fine,” she replied, clutching her stomach. “She kicks hard.” Jayden let out a chuckle. “What happened?” Kevin asked, running towards Tashiko. “I don’t know,” Tashiko answered worriedly. “She just...snapped.” 

“What did you do?” Mike demanded, limping towards her. “Me?” Tashiko echoed, pointing at herself. “She just snapped. She was trying to kill me!”

“Emily doesn’t do that unless you upset her!” Mike stated. “I didn’t do anything!” Tashiko protested. 

“How about we all calm down,” Kevin declared. “I don’t want to calm down! She did something to Emily!” Mike snapped, glaring at Tashiko. “Enough,” Jayden growled, glaring at the Green Ranger, who scoffed and turned around to go back inside of the Shiba House. Kevin gave a nod to Jayden and went after Mike, hoping to calm him down. Jayden turned around to Tashiko who was glancing at the ground, clearly upset that no one was believing her. 

  
“He didn’t mean-”

“Save it,” Tashiko interrupted, feeling tears brim her eyes. “I just want to be left alone.” She turned away from the Red Ranger and left Jayden in the backyard by himself. 

Tashiko wiped the tears from her eyes as she walked back towards the forest. She had tried to talk to Emily, but she had run away. She was truly terrified of Ami. “Ami, you’re really being a pain in the ass,” Tashiko stated, wiping another stray tear from her face. “You haven’t even appeared and you’re tearing the Rangers apart.” She heard a noise, seeing a red light appear from underneath a rock. 

Suddenly a human male with shoulder length hair appeared in front of her. He had a jagged scar that ran from the tear duct in his left eye and ran diagonally at the end of the right side of his lip. He opened his eyes, showing her they were a deep green, like the forest that surrounded her. He raised his hand, his golden staff appearing in his hands. Tashiko’s eyes went wide seeing the man and let out a gasp.

“No way…You’re…”

* * *

Emily slammed the door to her room close, clutching her head as she paced around. Ami was haunting her everywhere she went. _I didn’t mean to scare Tashiko like that!_ , she thought as she raked a hand through her blonde hair. _She just looks like her!_ She leaned against the wall and slid down, hugging her knees to her chest. _I don’t know how Tashiko knows about my kidnapping, but she shouldn’t know. She shouldn’t know!_ She wiped her tears before gasping. _What if Tashiko saw everything? What if she saw Ami kidnap me but didn’t try to help? What if she was too scared to help me? What if...Ami threatened her too?_ _No_. She shook her head but narrowed her eyes. _What if Tashiko is a Nighlok like Ami, and is infiltrating the rangers as well? That could be a probable reason to how she knows? What if Ami sent her here to remind me to keep quiet?_

The ideas that were running through her head were far-fetched but believable. But that contrasted to Tashiko’s personality. She was sweet and innocent to be a Nighlok and had even offered her to help her on the Ami situation. 

But then, there was a  _ coincidence _ she had come to the Shiba House with no memory and instantly became friends with everyone. Emily shook her head and grabbed it. “No, stop thinking like that,” she whispered. “Ami is getting to you. Ami is getting to you!” 

She heard knocking on her door and heard Mia’s and Mike’s worried calls. “Emily! Are you okay?” Mike asked.

“Em, please open the door! Everyone’s worried about you,” Mia added.

Emily didn’t want to talk to anyone but she didn’t want to be rude. She got to her feet and slowly opened the door, seeing the worried faces of the Pink and Green Rangers. “Em, what happened?” Mia inquired in a gentle tone. “Did Tashiko do anything to you?” Mike asked worriedly. Emily didn’t answer but bit her lip, feeling another fresh wave of tears trying to escape her eyes. “Mia!” Mentor Ji called. Mia sighed, hearing Ji calling for her and said, “I’ll be back.” The Pink Ranger left them alone before Emily opened the door, letting Mike inside of her room. 

She closed it when Mike sat on her bed, giving her a worried look. Emily glanced at him before not being able to hold on and began to sob. “Em,” Mike worriedly began but Emily hugged him tightly. “What she do to you?” Mike asked again. “She didn’t do anything,” Emily whispered. “Then what happened? Why did you snap?” Mike replied, glancing down into her teary brown eyes. Emily stared into Mike’s deep emerald eyes and wanted to spill everything to him. She wanted to tell him all about Ami and her kidnapping but she knew she couldn’t. Unless, she wanted Mike to die by Ami’s hand. “I-I,” Emily began but stopped.  _ I can’t _ . “What is it?” Mike asked, touching her cheek. She looked at him, seeing his worried face and bit her lip.

_ “Emily, remember, even if the bullies threaten you that they’ll hurt you, tell someone.” _

_ “But, then they’ll call me a tattle tale and a snitch!” _

_ “Even though they will call you those names, you need to tell someone. It will take away that bottled pain and you’ll feel more better about it. You told me about this situation and you feel much better don’t you? Because you know the person you told your problem with, will help you keep you safe. Remember Emily, I will always keep you safe. Someone in the future will help me keep you safe. Bullies are just people that put down other people to make themselves confident. Don’t let them gain that confidence by letting them put you down. You’re stronger than your bullies, Emily.”  _

Serena’s voice echoed in her head and Emily smiled, knowing what her older sister told her was true.  _ I’m stronger than Ami. She just another bully. I’m stronger than her and I will defeat her! _ Emily glanced at Mike. 

She knew she had to tell him. She felt safe with Mike, she felt like she could tell him anything she wanted, and he wouldn’t judge.

“Mike,” Emily began, touching the hand that was touching her cheek. “What is it?” Mike looked at her in concern. “What I’m about to tell you, doesn’t leave this room,” Emily stated in a serious tone. Mike blinked in worry, never seeing Emily so serious before. “I promise,” Mike replied as Emily began to tell him all about Ami. 

* * *

“You’re…” Tashiko couldn’t believe her eyes. “Hello Raikou-Hime,” the male told her with a warm, sad smile. “Hideo?” Tashiko gasped, taking a step back. “You’re…” 

“Do not be afraid,” Hideo replied, taking a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is my human form.” 

“You’re a _R_ _ anger _ ,” Tashiko gaped, shaking her head. “You’re Mike! You’re the Green Ranger!” 

“I’m not  _ that _ Mike,” Hideo shook his head. 

“But then, who are you? Why do you have Mike’s face? What’s going on?” Tashiko asked, not comprehending what she was seeing in front of her. “Are you a clone?” 

“Raikou-Hime, I think it’s time I tell you who I really am,” Hideo stated, taking her hand. “I think it’s time we talk about  _ us _ .” Tashiko looked at him confused and said, “What do you mean?” Hideo took her hand and led her away from the forest. Tashiko glanced at him confused, seeing that this  _ Mike _ was different. He was battle ridden, his scar seemed so painful, his green eyes that held so much grief.  _ Who are you really, Hideo? _ Tashiko thought. 

After a while of walking, she began to hear the roar of a river. She gaped, seeing the river that cut through the forest. The water was clear and seemed to sparkle in the morning sun. “What is this place?” Tashiko asked, glancing at Hideo who approached the river. “This place, is where we Rangers used to hang out.” He kneeled down and touched the water, beckoning Tashiko to touch it. “It is also one of the purest rivers to run around Panorama City.” 

Hideo glanced at Tashiko and said, “And this is where our first ranger fell.” Tashiko glanced at him, seeing how his eyes filled up such pain. “Tashiko, I’m not from this world,” Hideo declared, glancing ahead. “Where are you from then?” Tashiko asked in curiousity. 

There was a tense, cold silence before Hideo sighed. 

“I’m from the future,” Hideo replied, looking at her. “I’m Mike, the Green Ranger. I come from a world, where the Rangers failed to defeat the Nighlok.” Tashiko blinked a few times before laughing nervously. “How can I believe you? That seems preposterous.” Hideo grunted and glanced at the river. “It may be, but think back to the last few visions, dreams you had.” Tashiko closed her eyes, trying to dig through her mind before remembering Hideo’s past. She quickly opened her eyes and turned to glance at Hideo. 

“The person I saw in the dream, the one where the girl was crying and the man becoming a Nighlok…” 

“Was me,” Hideo answered. “It was Emily and me.”

“How? Why?” Tashiko whispered, wide eyed in shock. Hideo closed his eyes, trying to think of those painful memories. “A Nighlok came to our world one day and took away her spirit. The only way to save her was for someone to turn into a Nighlok.”

“And you sacrificed your humanity to save her,” Tashiko murmured. 

“I didn’t feel it at first, I didn’t transform right away,” Hideo half-laughed. “I felt the pain little by little, until it was unbearable. I was become more of a Nighlok and I couldn’t let Emily see me like that. Then, that fateful day came. We went for a walk and a Nighlok attacked us. He tried to kill her and I couldn’t let him. My Ranger powers failed on me, instead my body relied on my Nighlok side. Before I knew it, I was in my Nighlok form, and I couldn’t change back.” 

Hideo covered his eyes as he let out a painful sob. “The look of horror in her face, broke my heart. She couldn’t tell me anything, she was terrified of me. She ran before I could speak. That was the last time I saw her beautiful face.”

“I’m sorry,” Tashiko stated, placing a hand on his back. Hideo grasped the staff tighter in his hands and whispered, “Tashiko, all those dreams you’ve been having. They aren’t just dreams. They’re visions of the future to come.”

Tashiko felt the weight of a rock fall on top of her shoulders and stated, “That...that’s not…” She shook her head, not believing what Hideo had told her. “Those dreams are from the future, Tashiko,” Hideo replied. “All those things you’re seeing, are from a future to come.” 

Tashiko got to her feet and shook her head, before bolting into the forest. She ran, not caring how the branches were scrapping her or how she was tripping over the tree roots.  _ All this time! Those dreams...are from the future?  _ She skidded the ground, panting as she leaned against a tree.  _ I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to do. _ She raked a hand through her raven hair before gasping.  _ Jayden! He has been dreaming the same things. I can’t tell him. He’ll go crazy if he finds out those dreams will turn into reality. _

Tashiko clutched her head, going into full fledge panic.  _ Wait...So that means… Jayden, Emily, the others...will die. Mike would turn into a Nighlok.  _ “No,” she whispered, pacing back and forth. “That...that can’t come true!” She clutched her chest, remembering the pain that filled her heart while watching the rangers die, watching  _ Antonio _ die. “That can’t come true!” Tashiko collapsed into her knees, feeling tears beginning to stream down her face.  _ I wouldn’t bare it! I wouldn’t bare it! _

_ I can’t watch them die again! _

Hideo watched the poor girl suffer from a distance. It broke his heart seeing her like this, but he didn’t have a choice but to tell her the truth.  _ I’m sorry Tashiko,  _ he thought. 

_ I’m sorry. _

* * *

Ami watched through a gap as Emily confessed everything to Mike. “Oh Emily, you could never keep your mouth shut. You always had to profess those hurt, broken feelings you have,” Ami cooed, the symbols floating around her. “Oh well, I guess, it’s time to kill that poor Green Ranger. A shame really, Tashiko had just brought him back!” 

Ami waved her hand making one of the kanji’s to float towards her. A Furrywart jumped towards her, laughing at her. She flicked her finger at the unsuspecting creature, the symbols shooting at the Nether animal. The Furrywart screamed in agony as the symbols hit him before dispersing into dust. 

“Sweet dreams, Mike.” 

* * *

Kevin glanced out into the backyard, seeing Tashiko sitting in the porch by herself. “She’s been awfully quiet these last few days,” the dark skinned man stated as Emily joined him. The Yellow Ranger had been happier these passing days, after apologizing twenty times to Tashiko over snapping at her during training. The latter had accepted the apology but seemed down. 

“Hey Kev! Em! I’m going fishing!” Antonio called out at the Blue and Yellow Rangers, pulling his fish cart behind him. 

“Okay Antonio! Have fun!” Emily replied, waving at him while Kevin got a sly smile.

“Hey Antonio!” Kevin called, walking towards him. The Gold Ranger stopped and glanced at the Blue Ranger. “What’s up Kev?”

“I was wondering, why don’t you take Tashiko fishing?” Kevin suggested. He saw the Gold Ranger grow nervous and scratch the back of his head. “I don’t know Kev,” Antonio began. “Come on,” Kevin insisted. “You two can kinda bond, talk to each other more. You don’t seem to be that talkative to her.” Antonio blushed bright red and said, “I don’t know.” 

“C’mon, you love to cheer people up. Cheer her up,” Kevin smiled, patting his shoulder. Antonio smiled knowing that was true and said, “Alright.”

Tashiko was still reeling in shock at Hideo’s revelation. The Rangers had noticed her being more quiet and were asking if she was alright. She told them she was and put on a fake smile, but inside, she felt like she was dying. She wondered if that day, was going to be the last time she would ever see them again.  _ I can’t live like this _ , Tashiko thought, glancing at the Rangers, who were preparing for the day.  _ I’m going to go crazy if I keep this up. _

“Hey,” came a voice, breaking her out of her thoughts. She glanced up and instantly blushed when she saw Antonio glancing at her in concern. “Hi,” Tashiko replied, looking at the ground, feeling her cheeks burning. He sat beside her on the porch and gave her a smile. “You’ve been awfully quiet these last few days. Are you okay?” She glanced at his concerned brown eyes and sighed. “Well, yes and no. There’s a lot going through my head, to be honest.” Antonio grinned at her and said, “I think I have the right solution for that.” 

“And what is that?” Tashiko replied, perfectly knowing the answer, but she did enjoy hearing his excited voice.

“Fishing!” 


	17. Fishing with an Angel

Serrator watched the Gold Ranger and Tashiko walk towards the docks through a gap. “Seems the Gold Ranger and the wanna be Ranger are alone.” “Then it would be easier for us to destroy them,” Dayu stated, getting to her feet. “We can make the Rangers be one more Ranger short.” “Go,” Serrator ordered as Dayu and Dekker disappeared through a gap. 

The King of all Nighloks floated above the Sanzu River, before perfectly landing on Master Xandred’s ship. Just as he was going inside, he saw Duplicator walk out. “Well, well, long time no see, Serrator,” Duplicator smirked, seeing the white haired Nighlok. 

Serrator smirked back and said, “It’s been quite a while, Duplicator. What brings you here?”

“The  _ Master _ has summoned me to destroy the Rangers,” Duplicator answered. “Have fun,” Serrator replied back with a snicker. “Oh I will,” Duplicator stated, pushing past Serrator and placed his foot on the boat's railing. “I’ll destroy, maybe cripple a few. After all, I did cripple some of the ancestors.” 

Serrator smirked, remembering that memorable moment of Duplicator, crippling a few of the Samurai Rangers. “They’re just teenagers, how hard can they be?” Duplicator shrugged as he plunged into the Sanzu River. “Just teenagers,” Serrator mocked, shaking his head. “What a fool in underestimating the rangers powers. They aren’t  _ just _ teenagers.” He turned around and headed inside of Master Xandred’s ship.

* * *

Tashiko followed Antonio to the dock, glancing around in awe. A calm, warm wind blew around them and the sounds of people fishing or walking around filled the area. She smiled as she spun around, smelling the saltiness of the ocean water. Tashiko glanced at Antonio, who was setting up his fishing rod with bait. She neared him and he glanced at her, “Have you ever fished before?” He instantly went red in the face, remembering she had no memory to who she was. 

Tashiko giggled at his blushing face, knowing he meant no harm. “Actually no, but I’ll like too,” Tashiko answered. Antonio sighed in relief, seeing that Tashiko hadn’t gotten mad at his stupid remark. “It’s pretty easy.” He took out another fishing rod and placed the bait on the hook. He gave it to Tashiko who took the rod. “Here,” Antonio began, gently grabbing her hands. “You just pull back and throw it towards the water.” 

The rod fell into the water with a splash making Tashiko smile. She felt so warm, safe and happy as Antonio’s arms surrounded her. She blushed and glanced at Antonio who glanced at her as well. 

They both stared at each other, unblinking. Tashiko’s hair whipped around her as the gentle wind blew around them. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she stared into Antonio’s brown eyes. The Gold Ranger, felt his cheeks grow warmer and his heart race. He wanted to kiss her lips for some reason and hug her tightly.  _ No. What am I thinking, _ he thought, pulling away from Tashiko and scratched his head nervously.  _ I can’t like her. Jayden and her probably like each other. _

Tashiko blinked and glanced at the ocean water in embarrassment.  _ What just happened? _ , she thought, her cheeks heating up.  _ Did we almost...kiss? _ She slowly looked at Antonio who was glancing at the water as well, his face bright red. “Um, Antonio, are you okay?” she asked him.

Antonio gazed at her, hearing her sweet, calm voice. He felt his cheeks heat up once more and he glanced at the water, embarrassed. “Yes, I’m fine.”  _ Dammit! Stop thinking about her! _

But he couldn’t. 

Since the day he saw her on the dirt road that led to the Guardian’s house, he began to like her. The way she was standing there like an angel sent from heaven, smelling the rose bushes that were on the side of the road. Her smile, her goofy personality, her innocence, her big heart and how she cared for everyone had someone how began to make space in his heart.  _ Dammit! _

Antonio knew how close Tashiko was with the Red Ranger. He knew how Jayden wanted for her to become the so called  _ Purple _ Ranger. He sighed and placed his head on the railing, seeing his reflection on the water. Tashiko’s reflection joined him making him look at her. “Sorry,” Tashiko told him. “Does my presence make you uncomfortable? I can leave if you want.” Antonio shook his head. “No! I mean. No, your presence is most welcome.” He blushed like a lovesick teen and cursed himself for it.

Suddenly people began to scream in terror, making the two teens glance at the commotion. People swarmed into them, running away from the dock making Tashiko lose sight of Antonio. She got pushed into the ground, making her land on her butt and said, “Watch it!” Tashiko pouted as she saw someone’s shadow approaching her. She looked up with a smile, thinking it was Antonio, only for her shock for it to be a Nighlok. They stared at each other as Tashiko’s hazel eyes grew wide in horror. 

The female Nighlok smirked, taking out her danto. “You must be the new girl Kameyo informed us about,” the Nighlok stated. Tashiko scooted back, noticing that the Nighlok seemed very familiar before her mind clicked. This Nighlok was there when the rangers had defeated Scarf! “Who are you?” Tashiko asked. The female Nighlok chuckled and cocked her head. “Very strange that the Rangers haven’t told you about me. Especially the Pink Ranger. She and I are mortal enemies.” She walked towards Tashiko making the girl get to her feet and back into the railing of the dock. 

“To answer your question, human, my name is Dayu. Your death!” Dayu shot forward swinging her danto at Tashiko. The latter turned her head away and placed her arms in front of her to block the Nighloks attack. She felt the blade slice the skin on her arms, making her scream in pain. She touched her arms, seeing red blood covering her hands. 

“I forgot how easy it was to slice human skin!” Dayu cackled, swinging at Tashiko once more. 

Suddenly a Gold blur appeared in front of her, blocking Dayu’s attack. “Antonio!” Tashiko gasped, seeing the Gold Ranger in front of her. “Tashiko, are you okay?” he asked before clenching his jaw, seeing her bleeding arms. “I’m fine,” Tashiko answered before Dayu laughed. “Oh great! The Gold Ranger is here to rescue the damsel in distress! How adorable!” She shot forward, slashing at Antonio with her danto. Tashiko jumped out of the way but right into Dekker’s feet. The young teen gasped in horror as Dekker took out his sword and pointed it at her. “Seems like there’s nowhere to run,” Dekker stated, glaring at her with his cold brown eyes. “Tashiko!” Antonio yelled, pushing Dayu off his sword before getting in front of her. 

  
Dekker attacked the Gold Ranger, followed by Dayu. Antonio struggled to fight them both and kicked Dayu away before he locked blades with Dekker. “Why are you attacking us all of the sudden?” Antonio questioned with narrowed eyes. “Especially me and not chasing after Jayden.” 

“I have direct orders from Serrator,” Dekker answered, pushing Antonio off the blade. “So, now you’re taking orders? That isn’t like you Dekker,” Antonio stated. “I don’t care about your opinion, Gold Ranger,” Dekker growled, slashing at the Gold Ranger.

Dayu got off the ground and launched towards Tashiko. “Got you!” the female Nighlok laughed. But Tashiko rolled out of the way, just as Dayu stabbed the wooden floor. The black haired girl glanced at Dayu as she got to her feet once more. “Die!” Dayu shouted, swinging at her. “Tashiko!” Antonio shouted, slamming into her as Dayu’s blade sliced through the Gold Ranger's suit. 

Tashiko’s eyes went wide in fear as she saw sparks flying off the Gold Ranger's suit. They landed on the dock painfully with Antonio demorphing. He grunted, holding his shoulder before the two Half-Nighlok’s jumped in the air. “Why are they running aw-” 

Tashiko didn’t get to finish her sentence as the dock they were in, exploded, sending them flying into the water. 

* * *

Serrator chuckled as the four Rangers struggled against Duplicator. They were getting overwhelmed by his clones before they call got thrown into the ground demorphing. “Is that all what you got Rangers? You all disappoint me! Your ancestors put up a better fight!” Duplicator mocked them. His skin began to crack and he stated, “You Rangers are in luck! I’m drying out!” 

The Nighlok disappeared through a gap making Serrator smirk.  _ Maybe I was wrong about Duplicator. He can take care of the  _ teenagers _. He is stronger than I remember.  _ Serrator disappeared through a gap, leaving the rangers nurse their wounds.

* * *

Tashiko saw the pieces of the dock, float around her as she sunk deeper and deeper into the ocean. She couldn’t move. Her whole body hurt so bad and she was pretty sure Antonio had taken the full hit of the blast.  _ Antonio, where are you _ ?, she thought as she tried to move her arms to swim upwards.

Suddenly a laugh began to fill her head.  _ Oh yes. This is delightful _ . 

_ Who’s talking?, _ Tashiko asked, watching as a few bubbles escaped her lips.  _ The one you drowned _ , the voice stated in a bitter tone. Tashiko began to swim upward but some unknown force pushed her back down. “No!” she gasped, accidentally taking a deep breath. She grabbed her throat coughing, her hand reaching for the surface.  _ No! _ the voice stated as Tashiko felt that same force push her down again.  _ Drown bitch! Drown like I did while Kevin tried to get me out! _

_ Kevin? _ Tashiko thought as the edge of her visions grew dark. 

_ Yes! Drown! You’ll finally pay for what you did to me! _ , the voice shouted.  _ What did I do? _ , Tashiko asked the voice as she lost consciousness. 

* * *

Hideo appeared through a gap, seeing the dock destroyed.  _ I’m too late _ , Hideo thought in horror. He had seen through his crystal ball how Dayu and Dekker had attacked Tashiko and the Gold Ranger. Despite traveling via gap, his human side had slowed him down. “No!” Hideo gasped, walking around the destroyed dock. “Tashiko! Tashiko!” He spun around in a circle, not knowing how to locate her or what to do. 

He then saw it. 

He saw a hand pop out of the surface before going under the waves. “Tashiko?” he asked, running towards the end of the broken dock. Hideo couldn’t tell who it was but it didn’t matter. He quickly made his staff disappear, before jumping into the water, swimming against the currents. It had been years since he had swam against pure, clean water, compared to the musky, red waters of the Sanzu River.  _ Come on _ , _ Hideo. You can do this _ , he thought as he took a deep breath before going under. He swam seeing the human figure sinking deeper underwater. 

Hideo swam faster and grabbed the figure’s hand. He pulled upwards, swimming towards the surface. He emerged, coughing as he pulled the figure out of the water. To his disappointment and surprise, it was the Gold Ranger whom he pulled out of the water. He looked in bad shape and hadn’t reacted to the surface.  _ Crap! _ Hideo cursed as he began to swim to land.

_ Tashiko, where are you? _

* * *

Tashiko opened her eyes to find herself in Panorama City. She sat up, seeing that it was different than what she was used to seeing. The skies were dark red and the city was destroyed, just like she had seen in her dreams.  _ This is...This is the city where I’m living with the Rangers _ , she thought, getting to her feet. She remembered Hideo’s words, that all her dreams weren’t dreams, but visions of the future.  _ This is Panorama City in the future. _

“ _Y_ _es it is,_ ” replied a voice. Tashiko turned around to find Kevin standing behind her. He looked different than he did in the present. He seemed older, battle ridden. He had ugly scowl on his face as he stared right at her. 

Not at her, but Jayden. 

She glanced at the older, future Jayden whose hair was shaggy and his eyes seemed colder than the warm green she was used too. He had a scar that ran from his cheekbone to his chin and crossed his arms. 

_ “There are too many puddles appearing in the city _ ,”  _ Kevin told the Red Ranger who glanced around the area. The ground was barely visible as puddles filled with red liquid covered most of the land. “I know,” Jayden stated in a worried tone. “If this keeps up, the Sanzu River will flood the Earth _ . _ ” _

Tashiko watched as the Pink, Green, Yellow Rangers and herself walked towards the Blue and Red Ranger.  _ Is that me _ ?, Tashiko thought, seeing herself walking with the Rangers. 

_ “We just saw a river of Sanzu water by the park,” Mike informed, putting his hands in his pockets. He looked worried and looked at the Rangers. “It’s not pretty.”  _

_ “When are rivers of Sanzu water pretty anyways?” Emily stated, playfully nudging Mike. “This isn’t a funny matter,” Jayden scolded the Yellow Ranger. “That only means, that Master Xandred is one step closer to his goal to flood the Earth.”  _

_ “We should cover these pools,” the Purple Ranger told the others. “We will,” Jayden gave a nod at her before frowning. “But now thinking about it, the Nighloks lately haven’t been going to the Netherworld to freshen up.”  _

_ “Do you think they’re using these pools to rehydrate?” Mia asked worriedly. “Probably,” Jayden replied. “If they are, we should cover them up,” Kevin told them. “Right,” Jayden nodded. “Split up. We need to cover these pools now. Kevin, Mia, Maria, go to old construction site. Mike, Emily and I, will cover the ones at the park.” _

_ The Rangers all nodded and split into two groups. _

Tashiko gasped as the rangers phased through her.  _ If Jayden is right, if I’m the Purple Ranger. Then my name is….Maria. _

_ The Rangers began to cover the pools of Sanzu water. Emily, summoned rocks and dirt while Kevin and Mia dug holes to bury the water. Maria was knocking stones and rocks into the puddles before one of the rocks fell off the edge with a giant splash. That caught her attention and walked towards the ledge, seeing a river of Sanzu water cutting through the ground. “Oh my God,” she gasped, catching the attention of Mia and Kevin.  _

_ “What happened?” Kevin asked, rushing towards the Purple Ranger. He stopped short, seeing the river of red water, splashing a few feet away. “This isn’t good,” Maria stated. “That isn’t just a puddle we can just cover up.”  _

_ “We got to tell Jayden,” Kevin nodded. “The water is rising and fast,” Mia informed them.  _

_ “Mia, you’re too close to the led-” Kevin began when suddenly the ground underneath Mia’s feet gave out and crumbled towards the river. The Pink Ranger screamed as she plummeted down the river.  _

_ “Mia!” Kevin shrieked, grabbing her hand in time before she fell to her death.  _

_ “Hang on Mia!” Kevin gasped, his brown eyes wide in horror.  _

_ The ground around Kevin was beginning to crumble as well making Maria grow alarmed. “Kevin! The ground around you is not holding your weight!”  _

_ “Go and get Jayden! Hurry!” Kevin shouted. “No! If I go, you two will fall to your deaths!” Maria yelled back. She took out her Samuraizer and summoned a rope.  _

_ Quickly, Maria tied the rope around Kevin before crawling slowly towards Mia. “Mia grab the rope!” Maria called as Mia struggled to get the other end of the rope. The ground around the three rangers began to break apart, making Kevin drop Mia a few inches. Mia managed to get the rope as Maria got to her feet and began to pull.  _

_ But that only caused the ground to break underneath Kevin’s weight and drop him and Mia closer to the Sanzu River. Maria got pulled down with them, making her slam the ground and have her feet dangle the edge. The Sanzu water began to rise higher almost touching Mia’s feet. Maria summoned her SpinSword and stabbed the ground with it, trying to pull herself up with it. Kevin tried to crawl backwards, pulling Mia upwards.  _

_ “Come on Mia,” Kevin told the Pink Ranger. Mia struggled but was managing to go upwards when the rope around them suddenly loosened. They both yelled as they almost plummeted into the water.  _

_ “Maria! What ar-” _

_ Kevin froze when he heard the Purple Ranger l _ _ et an anguished scream. He glanced to see Dayu standing over Maria and laughed. “Well, well. Two little Rangers holding a rope for their lives. What to do?”  _

_ "Dayu,” Mia gasped.  _

_ “Leave us alone!” Kevin shouted.  _

_ “And who’s going to make me?” Dayu sneered.  _

_ “We are!” came a shout and the Half-Nighlok spun around to see the Green, Red and Yellow Rangers morphed.  _

_ The three Rangers engaged the Half-Nighlok making Kevin glance at the Purple Ranger who was loosening her grip on the rope. “Maria! Don’t let go!” Kevin shouted, when he felt a drop of liquid fall into his face. He’s brown eyes opened wide and he glanced at the unmoving Purple Ranger.  _

_ Dayu had stabbed the Purple Ranger. _   
  



	18. Ami Arrives

Tashiko was in and out of unconsciousness.  She coughed up water as she tried to see who was pulling her out of the water. “You can’t die yet,” the voice stated. Tashiko’s vision was blurry and she could feel someone pulling at her shirt. “Not yet.” Tashiko closed her eyes once more, plunging herself back into her nightmare. 

_Kevin heard metals clashing in the background as the Rangers fought against Dayu. He noticed the rope tied between him and Mia was straining to hold them. The Sanzu River was rising higher and the water was eroding the Earth around them. "Ow!" Mia cried. The Sanzu Water had splashed into on leg burning it. "Mia, hold on!" Kevin stated desperately._

_Maria wasn't responding to Kevin's desperate calls and the rope was breaking. "Maria!" Kevin yelled, as they dropped closer to the water._

_Mia screamed in pure agony as the water splashed against her ankles._

_Suddenly they were beginning to get pulled up. Kevin glanced over his shoulder to see Maria, struggling to stab the sword on the ground again. Her clothes were partially soaked in blood and her hand was shaking with effort._ _ “I can’t let you die! I can’t die! She gave me a second chance!” she stated, stabbing the ground once more.  _

_ Images of a girl with blonde hair filled her mind. “I’m not about to throw it away!”  _

_ Maria pushed through the agonizing pain of the sword that had passed through her shoulder and began to pull her friends. But the effort was too much and a shot of pain went through her arm. They slipped again but Maria felt someone grab her injured arm, pulling her to safety. She glanced up to see Jayden. He gave her a nod before rushing towards Kevin pulling him as well. Just as they were about to pull Mia, the rope snapped.  _

_ Maria turned around to see Mia plummet into the Sanzu River. “Mia!” Kevin screamed, watching as the Pink Ranger gasped out, “I love you,” before splashing into the red water.  _

_ “NO!” Emily screamed, falling to her knees. Maria got to her feet and rushed towards the edge, seeing the water splash more violently. “Mia,” she whispered, falling to her knees as well.  _

_ Kevin desperately tried to untie himself and jump into the river to save the Pink Ranger but Jayden grabbed him. “You can’t jump in!” “ _

_ Mia!” Kevin shouted seeing Mia’s hand disappear under water. “Kevin it’s too late!” Jayden told him. “You can’t save her now!”  _

_ “She’s long gone! If you go in there, you risk dying! We can’t lose anymore rangers!” Maria yelled. “It’s all your fault!” Kevin shouted at her. “If you hadn’t been so weak, she would have been saved!”  _

_ Maria glanced at the ground. “She couldn’t hold both weights!” Mike defended her. “Besides, Dayu stabbed her!” _

_ “No, he’s right,” Maria interrupted. “I was weak.”  _

_ "You’re damn right!” Kevin snarled, grabbing her by both shoulders, aggravating her injury. She gritted her teeth but the Yellow Ranger ripped the Blue Ranger from his grip on the Purple Ranger. “Kevin stop! You’re hurting her!” Emily stated. The Blue Ranger backhanded Emily, throwing her into the ground. Mike’s eyes went wide, seeing Kevin hit Emily and punched him across the face.  _

_ Kevin touched his face in anger and rounded on Mike. “That is enough!” Jayden shouted, getting in between the two Rangers. As the three male Rangers fought, Maria slammed a fist into the ground.  _ It happened again, _ she thought.  _ First Antonio and now, Mia. Why? Why is bad luck always with us?!

The memory faded away making a tear slip down Tashiko’s face. She had seen herself in that memory. She had felt Dayu’s blade slice through her shoulder and felt the struggle as she tried to pull the Blue and Pink Rangers up. 

_ I’m the Purple Ranger, _ Tashiko thought covering her mouth in shock.  _ My name is Maria. _

_ It’s your fault I died, _ the voice stated, making chills run up Tashiko’s spine.  _ Your fault Maria! Your fault I drowned on that miserable day! If you only you haven’t been weak, I would have survived. You probably let Dayu stab you, all in effort to kill me! _ Tashiko turned around, a white mist surrounding the void she was in. “It wasn’t my fault!” Tashiko cried out, spinning around, trying to locate the voice. “Maria, me, Tashiko, my past life! Didn’t kill you! The rope broke and you fell!” 

_ But if you hadn’t said anything about the river, I wouldn’t have slipped and died! I knew you didn’t like me! You should have let Kevin jump in and save me! _

“If I’d let him jump, Kevin would have died!” Tashiko cried out.  _ I guess you were trying to take away my boyfriend because yours died right? _ The voice stated and Tashiko froze, feeling a cold hand grip her shoulder. “My...boyfriend?” Tashiko whispered. _ Who do you think gave you the heart shaped necklace you have on your neck? _ , the voice stated, it’s breath tickling Tashiko’s ear. 

A dark mist formed around her, taking shape of a woman. Two yellow eyes glowed from the figure and it smiled making Tashiko take a step back. The dark shadow laughed, touching Tashiko’s necklace. Tashiko felt the cold touch of the deceased Pink Ranger, sending shivers up her spine.  _ Remember how he died protecting Jayden? _ The spirit hissed, circling around her.  _ He promised that he would come back, but he never returned. _

Tashiko’s eyes filled with tears, remembering how she was leaning over Antonio’s dead body. How she cried her soul out in anguish, how she felt like a piece of her died with him. “I had a bad feeling, something bad was going to happen,” she whispered, clutching her chest, where her heart was. “He kissed me, saying he had to protect the person he most cherished. He left and never came back. The Rangers came back with his body.” She fell to her knees, beginning to cry, not understanding why. _Why am I feeling like this? Why are her words affecting me so much?_ _Why does my heart ache, wanting to go back in time to fix it?_

She clutched her head, feeling a piercing pain go through her head. Memories of her past were beginning to cram into her mind. 

_ Maria watched as the Rangers laid the Gold Ranger’s body on the muddy ground. Thunder was roaring across the sky as a few drops of rain began to fall. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head as she fell to her knees. She reached out to Antonio’s face, gently caressing it. “ _

_ No.”  _

_ Dry blood was caked between his lips and his skin was cold as ice.  _

_ He was dead.  _

_ Maria glanced at his chest, hoping, praying that his chest would rise and fall, indicating he was still alive. But his chest didn’t move. “No,” she sobbed, finally breaking down as she hugged his body, placing her head on his chest. “Why?! Why, did you have to die?!”  _

_ Maria felt Jayden’s hands on her shoulders and she glanced at him, her face streaked with tears. The Red Ranger was badly beaten, a slash ran from his cheekbone to his chin and his lip was busted. A stab wound was on his side and he was clutching it. His green eyes were filled with tears as well and whispered, “It’s too late. He’s gone.” _

_ Maria let out an anguished cry, sobbing into Antonio’s still body. Jayden kneeled beside her and said, “Things happen for a reason.” Maria’s eyes went wide and whipped around to glare at Jayden. “Nothing good happens to us. We always end up losing!” she lashed out.  _

_ Jayden bowed his head, his tears falling into his best friends body. Maria glanced at the ground as well, knowing she couldn’t blame him for Antonio’s death. She embraced the Red Ranger, who began to sob on her shoulder. She knew he was hurting as bad as she was. Antonio was like a brother and a best friend to him.  _

_ “I’m sorry.” _

* * *

Hideo was performing CPR on the Gold Ranger who wasn’t breathing. “Come on Antonio!” Hideo stated, pushing down on the Gold Ranger's chest. “We can’t lose this world's Antonio as well!” The Gold Ranger began to cough up water and slightly opened his eyes. “T-Tashiko,” Antonio murmured before losing unconsciousness. Hideo knew the Gold Ranger needed medical attention and he summoned his golden staff. “ _ Spiriti della Foresta! Ascolta la chiamata! Io chiamo indietro nature regalo per invertire il danno che è stato fatto! La foresta, l’acqua, ed ogni buon spirito sentono la chimata! Dammi tua forza di guarire!”  _ Hideo’s staff began to glow green before waving it around the Gold Ranger.

Immediately his injuries began to heal, but the incantation broke as Hideo’s crystal ball cracked. The Half-Nighlok glanced at his staff, his eyes wide in shock.  _ Tashiko must be remembering more of her past, _ he thought, narrowing his eyes.  _ That means, she’s alive. _

* * *

Tashiko opened her eyes to find herself laid on the beach. The waves of the ocean gently lapped at her feet as she glanced around.  _ What happened? Where am I? _ She touched her head as a piercing pain hit her mind.  _ My head _ . She got to her feet and looked around, before her eyes caught a man with long brown hair. “Hideo?” she murmured, beginning to run towards the Half-Nighlok. 

“Hideo!”

* * *

Jayden closed his Samuraizer once more as he paced around the Common room. Antonio hadn’t answered his calls again. He was starting to get worried that something might happened to the Gold Ranger. 

“Antonio didn’t answer?” Mike asked the Red Ranger who shook his head. “He’s going to get it when he comes home,” Mia growled, rubbing her injured arm. “It’s weird that Antonio hasn’t answered his calls. Do you think something bad happened to him?” Emily asked worriedly.  _ I hope Ami didn’t get him _ , she thought. 

“Maybe he lost his Morpher like that one time we were fighting Armordevil,” Kevin suggested. “We can worry about that later,” Jayden stated. “We need to find a way to defeat Duplicator.” 

“How?” Mia asked but was interrupted by Mentor Ji walking in. “Rangers, I have news for you,” Ji stated making everyone glance at their mentor. “What is it Mentor?” Jayden asked, walking towards Ji. 

“Hello Rangers,” stated a voice, as a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes stepped out from behind Ji. Emily tensed up and took a step back. Mike placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. Her face had gone pale and she was beginning to tremble in terror. He knew why she was scared. She was facing the monster that had kidnapped her and could easily kill her as easy as she had kidnapped her. “Who’s that?” Kevin asked confused, glancing at his mentor. The young woman stepped out and bowed at the rangers. 

“Hello Rangers. My name is Ami Takata. I’m the Purple Samurai Ranger.” 

* * *

Hideo perked up hearing his name being called. He turned around to find Tashiko running towards him. “Tashiko! You’re alive!” the Half-Nighlok gasped, getting to his feet and embracing her. Tashiko hugged him back, beginning to sob. “I was so scared,” she whispered. “I thought I wouas going to die.” 

“How did you get out?” Hideo asked, looking at her as he checked for any injuries. “I-I don’t know,” Tashiko answered, wiping her tears. “Someone pulled me out. Whoever it was, it kept telling me that I couldn’t die.” 

Hideo blinked a few times before shaking his head. He mentally noted to find out who did it but right now, they had a bigger problem in their hands. “Antonio!” Tashiko gasped, noticing the Gold Ranger on the ground. “Wait!” Hideo began but Tashiko was already on her knees, seeing that the Gold Ranger was badly injured. “What, what happened to him? Why isn’t he awake?” Tashiko asked, glancing at Hideo. “It seems like he took the full blast,” Hideo replied, kneeling down beside her. “I tried to heal him, but my magic can only do so much.” 

“Antonio?” Tashiko called, shaking the Gold Ranger. “Antonio!” Her hazel eyes went wide as her mind flashed back, seeing his dead body in front of her.  _ He’s gone _ , Jayden’s voice echoed in her head. “NO!” Tashiko yelled, grabbing her head. Her body let out a Purple glow, making Hideo glance at her wide eyed. “Tashiko!” Hideo stated, making her face him. “Calm down!” Tashiko looked at him, tears streaming down her eyes. Her voice changed dramatically, sounding older and her voice held grief. “I can’t bare to loose him again,” she whispered. 

Hideo grabbed her hands and looked at her straight in the eye. “Then you know better than I do, what your hands can do.” Tashiko stared at her hands before glancing at Antonio. She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes.  _ Please, wake up. Please _ .

Hideo watched as Tashiko let out a Purple glow again as the Gold Rangers injuries began to heal. The Gold Ranger began to stir making Hideo get to his feet. “I must go Tashiko,” Hideo stated. “I cannot let him see me.” Tashiko opened her eyes and glanced at Hideo. “Thank you,” she told him making Hideo smile. “Anything for you, Raikou-Hime.” He disappeared through a gap just as Antonio opened his eyes. 

“What, what happened?” Antonio mumbled, glancing around only to see Tashiko’s teary face. “Tashiko?” 

“You’re okay!” Tashiko cried, hugging the Gold Ranger, sobbing into his shoulder. Antonio blushed brightly, sitting up as he embraced the smaller teen. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Antonio stated, hugging her tightly. He felt his heart skip a beat and wondered,  _ Does this mean, she has some feeling towards me? _

He broke the hug and glanced at her face, seeing her tear streaked cheeks. Antonio gave her a warm smile and wiped her tears away. “C’mon, let’s go home.” Tashiko smiled at him, a pink blush dusting her cheeks.

This time, he had actually come back home. 

* * *

The air around the Rangers grew tense as the Rangers stared at the new comer. Jayden was staring down Ami while the others were cautious. They could clearly see that the Red Ranger wasn’t pleased with the Purple Ranger.  _ No, no _ ! Emily thought, panic surging through her. She remembered how Ami had declared she would infiltrate the rangers and state she was going to be the Purple Ranger. 

Ami looked at all the Rangers before her brown eyes fell on Emily. Emily froze, fear entering her body as she stared at those cold brown eyes. “You must be Emily,” Ami stated in a sincere tone and extended her hand. Emily swallowed, extending her own shaking hand at Ami and shook the Nighlok’s hand. 

Ami tightened her grip and Emily could feel Ami’s breath tickle her ear.  _ Say anything, and I’ll kill you _ . Emily let go of Ami’s hand before hugging herself. She felt Mike’s arm around her shoulder and glanced at him, seeing him give her a comforting look. Ji’s glance swept around the Rangers and declared, “Ami is a trained Ranger that has come from the Provinces near the Tengen Gate. She has come to fight the war against the Nighloks along side you, Rangers.” He narrowed his eyes and said, “I hope you welcome her and make her feel at home.” 

“Thank you Ji, I am thankful for all of this,” Ami replied before glancing at the Rangers. She shook the other Rangers hands before shaking the Red Rangers. 

Both Rangers froze,  Ami’s eyes going wide and felt her arm beginning to shake. Jayden’s green eyes were burning in anger, feeling a wave of uneasiness crash into him. 

_ The air is thick and heavy, _ Jayden thought.  _ I’ve never felt this in the house until Ami stepped in. _ He let her hand go before seeing Ami take a step back, who touched her head nervously.  _ Something is not right _ . 

The Shiba House door opened, making everyone glance at the Gold Ranger and Tashiko walk in all soaked. “Antonio, Tashiko, what happened?” Mia asked, quickly getting off the couch. “Two Nighloks attacked us,” Tashiko answered as she glanced at the Pink Ranger.

“Dayu and Dekker attacked us at the docks. We were lucky we survived. They blasted the doc-,” Antonio explained at the other Rangers. 

He froze, feeling something off and glanced behind the Rangers, seeing Ami standing awkwardly. Tashiko followed his gaze and blinked, not recognizing the woman. “Who’s that?” Antonio asked, tension evident in his voice. “That is Ami, the Purple Samurai Ranger,” Kevin answered making Tashiko’s eyes go wide. 

_ That’s the woman Hideo warned me about _ , Tashiko thought as Ami’s gaze fell on Tashiko.  _ So, she’s made her move. _

Tashiko and Ami stared at each other, neither one of them, making a move. Ami gave her a warm smile and extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Ami.” Tashiko extended her hand, taking Ami’s hand. 

Immediately the younger girl felt a cold grip in her heart and felt fear enter her body. Ami’s hand was extremely cold and she could feel Ami’s whisper in her ear.  _ So, how was the swim? _ Tashiko’s eyes went wide, not believing her ears.  _ How does she now that? How did she know, I almost drowned? _ Ami let go of her hand before stating, “I’m going to rest now. The trip was pretty long and I’m exhausted.” 

“I’ll show you to your room,” Ji replied, leading her towards the rooms.

“I’ll check you two out,” Mia told the Gold Ranger and Tashiko. “You go first,” Antonio beckoned Tashiko, but Tashiko declined. “You should go first,” she stated. “You took the full hit.” Antonio gave her a look before letting a sigh, knowing she was right. He left after the Pink Ranger while Tashiko glanced at Emily who was hugging Mike tightly. 

_ Please, protect Emily from Ami _ , Hideo’s voice echoed in her head. She approached the Yellow Ranger before kneeling in front of her. “Don’t worry, Emily,” Tashiko began. “I’m not letting her hurt you.” Emily looked at Tashiko before hiding on Mike’s shoulder. Mike glanced at her and squeezed her hand. “And I’ll help you with that,” he replied making Tashiko look at him surprised. 

“Wait, you..” 

“I know everything,” Mike gave her a nod. “Emily told me everything.” The Green Ranger leaned towards her and said, “Ji said that you came to train but no one has taught you anything. I’ll be your teacher. I will show you the ways of the Samurai Rangers and you will help me, protect Emily.”

Tashiko gave him a nod. “A deal it is.”


	19. Nightmares

“Antonio told me that Dayu and Dekker were trying to take you,” Jayden stated as he wrapped her injured arms. 

The wounds were closed but Jayden couldn’t take any chances for them to get infected. “Yes, probably cause I’m the newbie,” Tashiko sighed, glancing at the ground. “Hey, don’t worry,” Jayden told her, putting her chin up. “It’s going to be okay.” 

Tashiko glanced away and muttered, “As long as Ami is around, nothing is ever going to be okay.” Jayden sighed, knowing Tashiko felt an uneasiness with Ami; the same one he had felt ever since she stepped foot into the house. 

“Jay,” Tashiko began, tears forming in her eyes.  “What’s up?” he asked, worried when she saw the tears brimming her eyes. “I saw her die,” she whispered, making Jayden open his eyes wide. “Who?” Jayden breathed, feeling his heart racing in horror. Who else was going to die? Emily, Antonio and his deaths were reoccurring nightmares every time he dreamed. He was starting to believe they would come true. 

“Mia,” Tashiko murmured, glancing at him. 

“She’s going to die too?” Jayden whispered, not believing his ears.

“I don’t know, but she drowned in the Sanzu River,” Tashiko sobbed, wiping her tears. 

Jayden clenched his teeth and balled his fists.  _ What’s going on? _ He thought.  _ Why so many deaths? Why am I going to lose so many friends? Are we destined to fail? _

“I’m scared Jay,” Tashiko whispered, clenching her fists. “What if all these dreams come true?” Jayden looked at her sadly and gave her a tight hug. “Let me worry about that,” he murmured. “Thank you for telling me.” 

* * *

“I don’t get it,” Antonio stated as he paced around his and Jayden’s room. “You said the Purple Ranger was Tashiko. But now this Ami has appeared and declared herself as the Purple Ranger. See? Those dreams didn’t mean anything. Tashiko is just a girl. She’s no Ranger.” 

“You’re wrong,” Jayden replied as he clasped his hands. “That woman, something about her rubs me the wrong way.” He narrowed his eyes, remembering how he had grabbed her hand and that wave of uneasiness had crashed into him. Something was off about that Ami, and he was determined to find out. 

“Good night, Ant,” Jayden told the Gold Ranger as he got up and turned off the light. “Night,” Antonio yawned, laying on his bed. The Red Ranger got under the covers and flipped over, wondering who or what was Ami. 

* * *

Lighting raked the sky as thunder roared in the middle of the night. Two glowing eyes appeared in the Common room of the Shiba House as a shadow moved around the house. Lightning flashed once more lighting up the house with a white glow as the shadow paused feeling another presence in the house. It turned around to find a pair of red eyes staring at them. 

“You,” the glowing yellow eyes growled as the shadow took form of a young woman. The red eyes let out a chilling laugh as chains dragged the ground. The person approached the shadow making the latter take a step back. “I know what you’re doing Ami,” the other voice stated coldly in Ami’s ear. “I know all about your plan.” 

Ami felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her head and smirked, “So you know huh? Say anything and you’ll suffer.” The other person let out a maniacal laugh. “Do you really think I’m scared of  _ you _ ?” Ami glanced at the other woman, whose eyes flashed more brightly. “I can feel you trembling,” Ami replied with a smile. “I think you are.” 

“Oh yes, I’m shaking but not out of fear,” the other woman cackled. “Out of sheer excitement, that one day, I’ll be free.” She raised her hand at Ami, just as lightning lighted up the room once more. The other person was revealed as another woman wearing a tattered kimono; her hands, feet and chest crossed with metal chains. “And that day, I will destroy you.” 

“Pathetic,” Ami spat, taking a step back. “You’re chained! You can’t escape.”

“Don’t start any shit, Ami Takata,” the other woman replied. “You’re the one whose pathetic, thinking that  _ you _ can stop  _ me _ .” 

“You already destroyed me once!” Ami shouted. “I won’t let it happen again!” Lightning flashed once more, revealing a sneer on the other woman’s face. 

“Only time can tell,” she chuckled, her red eyes bearing into Ami’s. 

* * *

Ami gasped awake, panting in her bed as she raked a hand through her brown hair. “What, what the hell was that?” she asked. She hadn't dreamt ever since becoming a Nighlok. She glanced at the digital clock beside her, seeing it was two in the morning. She rubbed her face, wondering what that dream meant. She felt like she knew the person. 

Like if that person was close,  _ too close _ for her comfort. 

_ Damn it. I wonder what the hell was that. I hope it wasn’t a precognition. _ She laid back down and closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep but she saw the chained woman reaching out for her. 

_ Dammit. Looks like no sleep for me tonight _ .

* * *

Jayden glanced at the ceiling as a bunch of thoughts ran through his head. Tashiko had told him about her dream, vision, memory about Mia’s death. He couldn’t believe it! It seemed his rangers where going to die all around him, with him not being able to stop it. He was worried and chilled to the bone that this dreams could actually come true. What if Master Xandred actually won the war? What would happen to the world? 

_ Stop thinking like that _ , he scolded himself. He sat up and glanced at Antonio, seeing him sleeping peacefully. Jayden smiled a sad smile before tossing the sheets off him and got out of bed. He walked towards the kitchen and filled a glass with water. He drank some of it before sitting on a stool and glanced out the window. 

A shadow appeared in the window making Jayden quickly get to his feet. “Oh my,” the voice said with a sneer. It took form of a Nighlok, revealing sharp teeth and long claws. “It’s the little Red Ranger.”

“Who are you?” Jayden asked, getting out his Samuraizer. “I am the nightmare that haunts your dreams, the fear that you have inside,” the Nighlok answered. “And your greatest fear, is watch them die!”

“I won’t let you!” Jayden shouted. “Go, Go Samurai!” 

But nothing happened.

“What?” Jayden stated, staring at his Samuraizer. “Oh no! What should you do without your powers?!” the Nighlok mocked. “Now, you can only watch helplessly as your friends die!” 

The Nighlok turned into a shadow once more slithering into the ground. “Leave them alone!” Jayden yelled running after the Nighlok. 

The Nighlok slid under Jayden and Antonio’s bedroom before extending its claws, tearing into Antonio. The Gold Ranger let out a strangled yell before collapsing into the ground dead. Jayden came into the room, seeing his best friend bleed out. “No!” Jayden gasped, falling to his knees and grabbed Antonio’s dead body. “Oopsie,” the Nighlok cackled, before turning into a shadow once more, fleeing the room. Jayden got to his feet and rushed after it. “You’re not getting away!” 

But every time he arrived, it was too late. 

The Nighlok had killed all of his friends. “No!” Jayden screamed, seeing the pile of dead bodies around him. 

“Jay?” called a voice and the Red Ranger turned around to see Tashiko standing in the doorway. “Tashiko! Get away there’s a Nig-” Jayden began but the shadow appeared behind Tashiko looming over her. Tashiko turned around to see the shadow, her eyes widening in sheer horror. “NO!” Jayden shouted, just as the Nighlok sliced Tashiko’s throat. 

The younger teen staggered, clutching her throat as blood spilled down into the ground. Jayden caught her before she hit the ground. “Tashiko!” he yelled as the girl tried to tell him something but she died before she could speak. “NO!” He hugged her tightly as the Nighlok grabbed him by the throat. 

Jayden grabbed the Nighlok's hands, at a shear attempt to free himself. “This is your fault. You’re the blame for their deaths!”

“No!” Jayden shouted. “They can’t die for me!” 

“Oh they will!” the Nighlok cackled. “And their death’s will be in vain!”

Jayden felt tears streaming down his eyes, knowing the Nighlok was telling the truth. “How, how do you know?” he whispered. “Oh, Jayden, I know more than you think,” the Nighlok cackled, shape-shifting into a young woman with jet black hair. Her face was badly scarred and burned and she summoned a SpinSword. “You will soon see my identity. I will strike the rangers silently and slowly. And before you know it….” 

Jayden grunted, feeling the cool metal blade stab him through his chest. He felt the iron taste of blood flood his mouth as the Nighlok released his throat. Jayden grabbed the sword that was coming out of his chest and coughed up blood. “You will be next,” she hissed.

* * *

Jayden screamed awake, panting as he tried to calm his racing heart. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he raked a hand through his dirty blonde hair. 

He was done. 

He couldn’t bare it anymore. Every time he closed his eyes, the only thing he kept seeing was his Rangers dying, over and over again. He began to sob, getting to his breaking point. What if the Nighlok in his dream was right? Where his friends going to die in vain because of his secret? 

Emily wrapped herself more in her covers, hearing Jayden’s scream. She began to tremble, feeling terrified once more. She was living under the same roof as Ami, the one who had kidnapped her and kept her in the cave for days. She was scared that maybe Ami had heard her tell her secret to the Rangers. Would she kill her?  _ Kill Mike? _ She didn’t want that to happen. She knew that now that Ami was here, it was impossible for Emily not to fall into her grasps.  _ I can’t fight her. I can’t beat her. I froze, the moment I saw her _ . 

Emily hugged the stuffed monkey Serena had given her when she was a child. She loved the stuffed monkey dearly and it made her feel safe. It almost felt like having Serena beside her, giving her a hug when she was scared about something. She began to sob, as she heard Ami’s maniacal laugh echo her head. Her sobbing woke Mia up, making her roll over and glance at the younger ranger. 

“Em? Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Emily lied, covering her face with her bed sheets. “Did you have a bad dream?” Mia asked in concern, fully awake now.  _ I lived through a bad nightmare _ , Emily thought but gave Mia a nod. “Mia, can you please…. can you please hug me?” Emily asked as Mia gave her a warm smile. She gave a nod to the Yellow Ranger. She got off her bed and went to Emily’s, getting under the covers and hugged the smaller ranger. “It’s going to be okay. It was only just a bad dream.” She caressed the blonde woman’s hair making her close her eyes. She felt safe in Mia’s arms, almost like when Serena hugged her when she was a child. 

“Now, try to go to sleep, or else I’ll be cranky,” Mia chuckled, making Emily crack a smile. She pushed Ami to the back of her head and cleared her mind. Before she went to sleep, she uttered to Mia, “Thank you.” 

Mia gave her a kiss on her head. 

* * *

After winning the fight against Duplicator, the Rangers decided to train in the afternoon. Mike took the chance to go teach Tashiko’s first Samurai lesson. Mike limped down the trail of the forest while Tashiko glanced around. She remembered walking down this path with Hideo a few days back. 

“So,” Tashiko began glancing at the Green Ranger. “What's my first lesson?” 

“We are going to find out what Symbol Power you have,” Mike replied. “Symbol Power? Is it that thing you do to summon your weapons?” Tashiko asked blinking. “Basically,” Mike nodded. “Everyone has Symbol Power but most of it is dormant. Most of everyone's Symbol Power is drawn from the energy around them. It isn't necessarily drawn from an Elemental Power. The Rangers, usually do draw it from an Elemental Power. Jayden draws from the Fire Element. Kevin draws from the Water Element. Mia draws from the Sky Element. Emily draws from the Earth. I draw from the Forest. Mine is a sub element of Earth, since technically plants are part of the Earth."

“Wow!” Tashiko whispered in awe. 

“Today, we will find out if you draw from a main element or from a sub element,” Mike responded. Tashiko noticed that Antonio wasn't mentioned and asked, “What about Antonio?” 

“Oh, he draws the element of Light,” Mike frowned, thoughtful. “I think that's a sub element of Fire but I'm not sure…” He stopped at the river flowing in front of them and smiled. “Here it is!” He limped towards the river and carefully plopped down. He turned to Tashiko beckoning to sit beside him. 

Tashiko sat beside him, crossing her legs. Mike crossed one of his legs and smiled at Tashiko and said, “This place is where my dad took me when I first discovered I was a Samurai Ranger. It helped me connect with the forest for the first time. The power of the element running through my veins was an amazing experience.” Mike glanced at Tashiko and placed his two fists together. “This time, here, you’ll learn to see your Symbol Power for the first time.” 

“Now, I want you to put your two fists together and close your eyes…”

Tashiko closed her eyes and focused on Mike’s voice. “Now, I want you to shut down the sounds around you and focus on the sound of the river…” Mike’s voice slowly began to fade away and instead his voice was replaced by Kaisoko-Hime’s. 

“I want you to focus on yourself. Focus on the distinct sound of your heartbeat,” Kaisoko-Hime’s voice stated. “Focus on what makes it beat. Focus on the sound of your element.” Tashiko frowned, hearing her heartbeat before her mind flashed, a white light filling her mind.  _ Thunder? _ Tashiko thought as her mind flashed again.  _ No. _

Suddenly a lightning bolt filled her mind, followed by the distant sound of thunder. Her heart beat fell into the tune of the time the lightning bolt flashed in her mind.  _ Lighting _ . _ I can feel it! _ Tashiko thought as she found herself running as fast as a lightning bolt. How the white light bathed her and filled her with such raw and quick power. 

Tashiko opened her eyes to find Mike staring at her in awe. She glanced at herself, seeing lightning crackling around her body and she felt so powerful as the surge of power filled her body. “What is this?” Tashiko asked Mike who smiled happily. “That Tashiko, is your element that you just unlocked. The source of your unlocked Symbol Power.” Tashiko glanced at her hands which crackled with lightning before it disappeared making her glance at the Green Ranger. He got to his feet and placed a hand on Tashiko’s shoulder. “Seems like Lightning is a very powerful element. Congrats.” 

Tashiko smiled glancing at her hand before clenching it into a fist.  _ Lightning _ , she thought happily.  _ My symbol power is Lightning. _

* * *

The next day, the Rangers were hanging around the Shiba House, waiting to get their afternoon training. Tashiko walked towards the backyard, smiling as she saw Kevin with Mia. She leaned against the doorway, seeing them laughing as they practiced their swordsmanship. They were so obvious that they liked each other, but neither of them want to admit the truth. She decided to tease them and said, “So this is what you call a date? I thought it would have more candles and maybe a fancy dinner date, you know?” Mike’s laughter could be heard inside of the Shiba House as Mia’s and Kevin’s face went beet red. “Tashiko!” Mia and Kevin yelled, running towards the teen, but Tashiko had already bolted. 

Antonio was making his way towards the kitchen when he saw a purple blur run past him. He chuckled shaking his head. “What did she do now?” he asked as Mike laughed. “She said if Kevin called training with Mia a date.” Antonio laughed. “And now they’re pissed as hell,” the Gold Ranger noted, taking a water bottle from the fridge. “You bet it,” Mike smiled.

Emily walked into the kitchen in her training uniform next before giving Mike a hug. “Hey Mike! Antonio!” she smiled. “Hey, you two be careful,” Antonio warned, pointing at them. “Or you’ll be Tashiko’s next victim.” Emily blinked puzzled and glanced at Mike. “What is he talking about?” she asked making Mike blush. “Well, um,” Mike began but at the same moment, Tashiko ran towards them. “Hide me!” she yelped, grabbing Emily as a shield. “What is going on?” Emily asked confused as Mia came in stomping. “Come here!” the Pink Ranger growled. 

“I’m sorry!” Tashiko eeped, hiding behind Emily. “I promise I won’t make fun of you and Kevin!” Mia crossed her arms across her chest. “Fine. Don’t-” 

“But I can’t make no promises that I can’t resist of doing so!” Tashiko pointed out making Mia glare at her. “Come here!” Mia tried to grab Tashiko but she ducked and went under the table and escaped.

Tashiko bolted before Kevin tried to grab her but she dodged to the side, accidentally bumping into Mentor Ji’s bonsai and knocked it down. The plant pot shattered making the Rangers freeze. Mentor Ji came into the Common room, hearing the ruckus and asked, “What is...Who broke my bonsai?” 

Ji glared at the rangers, who tried to look innocent. Tashiko went red in the face before rubbing her neck nervously. “Sorry.” Ji sighed and mumbled about how Mike’s habit of breaking his bonsai’s were rubbing into Tashiko. “Well, enough games,” Kevin declared. “We need to go train.” 

“Where’s Jayden and Ami?” Mike asked as he ate his sandwich. “Jayden wasn’t here when we came back,” Antonio replied. “Neither was Ami.” They heard Jayden walking in and pushed past them. “Training starts in 5 mins.” 

“Dude we are just eati-” 

“Training starts in 5 mins,” Jayden snarled at the Green Ranger.

The Rangers exchanged glances before Mike turned to Antonio. “Antonio, what did you do to make Jayden wake up a sour puss?”


	20. Attacked

Tashiko painted the kanji for Lightning with slow, delicate strokes. She had painted the kanji for lightning faster but it ended up exploding in her face. Mike had told her that with Symbol Power, it was to be slow, precise and with a calm mind. 

Ever since finding her Symbol Power drew from the Lightning element, Mike had ordered her to practice it over and over the last two weeks. She side glanced at the Rangers, seeing them as they surrounded Jayden, their wooden katana’s in hand. The Red Ranger tightened the grip on his wooden katana and stated, “I want you to hit me with everything you got.” 

The Rangers gave him a surprised look and even Tashiko raised an eyebrow. “But Jayden,” Kevin began. “Just do it!” Jayden barked at them, making them flinch.  _ What the hell? _ Tashiko thought, seeing that Jayden’s behavior was strange. He usually didn’t act like that and it was weird for Tashiko seeing him so…. _ aggressive. _ It was also strange that Jayden was challenging all the Rangers to fight him at once. 

Ami narrowed her eyes at the Red Ranger and didn’t question his tactics, instead immediately attacked him. Jayden instantly blocked her attack, knocking her into the ground with ease. Kevin and Mia attacked next but Jayden blocked their attacks, hitting them hard with the wooden katana. Mike, who was still limping, but decided to train with the Rangers anyways, attacked him next. He was flown towards the ground painfully, making the rest of the Rangers wince. “Mike!” Emily shouted, dropping the wooden katana and rushed towards the Green Ranger.

“Are you okay?” she asked making the Green Ranger nod. “I’m fine Em. No worries,” Mike winced, painfully getting to his feet. He wasn’t going to lie, that hit actually made him land on his leg wrong and probably hurt it again. Antonio attacked the Red Ranger, followed by Ami. 

Suddenly Jayden summoned his Fire Smasher making Antonio dodge the attack but Ami got hit full on, sending her flying towards the side. She screamed in agony, holding a burnt arm. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Mia screamed, seeing how Ami had gotten hurt with Jayden’s Fire Smasher. "Dude!" Mike shouted. 

Tashiko dropped her paintbrush not believing her eyes. How could Jayden be hurting his teammates? She quickly rushed inside of the Shiba House to grab a bag full of frozen peas. 

“Ami! Are you okay?” Mia asked, helping the Purple Ranger to her feet. “No,” Ami whimpered, showing the Pink Ranger her burnt arm. 

“Jayden! You burnt your teammate!” Mike seethed, glaring at the Red Ranger. “This is training! Not a battlefield!” 

Antonio could see how Jayden was getting angry and got in between the Red and Green Ranger. “Whoa, whoa, let’s cool our heads,” he began. 

“Get out of the way,” Jayden growled at the Gold Ranger, pushing him away before turning to Mike. “Well maybe you should all act like it,” Jayden snarled. “We are fighting a war against the Nighlok! We are not in a fucking playground.”

“But we aren’t your training dummies!” Mike shouted. “We are your teammates!”

“Enough!” Kevin yelled, catching everyone’s attention. “Mia, tend to Ami. Mike head inside. Now.” The Green Ranger scoffed, glaring at Jayden once more before limping away. Emily followed the Green Ranger, not being able to look at Jayden in the eye after the incident. Mia took Ami back inside the Shiba House bumping into Tashiko who was going outside with the bag of peas. 

“Oh! Here Mia, I think you’ll need these,” Tashiko stated, handing the Pink Ranger the peas. “Thank you Tashiko,” Mia replied, giving the peas to Ami who glanced at Tashiko with a small smirk.  _ She had to do something with this _ , Tashiko thought as the Pink and Purple Rangers disappeared down the hallway.  _ Wouldn’t be a surprise _ . She walked back, seeing Jayden in the middle of the backyard with Antonio confronting him. Not wanting to pry, Tashiko headed back inside the house. 

“Jayden, what the hell is wrong with you?” Antonio asked the Red Ranger who was glancing at the ground. “Nothing is wrong,” Jayden replied, glancing at Antonio. “I’m simply stating the truth. We need to get our act together unless we want to die.” 

“By being a jerk about it?” Antonio pointed out, shaking his head. “Jayden, there are many ways you could have approached this  _ problema  _ and you chose to be a dick about it. You even got your Fire Smasher involved and hurt Ami! You threw Mike too hard on the ground as well.” 

“Then they shouldn’t be Rangers,” Jayden scoffed, turning away from Antonio. The Gold Ranger gaped at his friend in shock before grabbing the Red Rangers shoulder and spun him around. “Jay, I know you well. You aren’t like this. What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong?” 

Jayden made his weapon vanish and covered his face with his hands. “I can’t do it. I can’t take it Ant. It’s too much!” the Red Ranger whispered, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks. “I don’t know what to do anymore.” He collapsed to his knees beginning to weep as Antonio kneeled down and rubbed the Red Rangers back. “So that’s it,” Antonio murmured quietly. “You’re still having those nightmares.”

“Ant, they keep getting worse. I see deaths every time I close my eyes. They’re so real I can feel their pain, taste the blood flowing in my mouth,” Jayden wept. Antonio embraced the Red Ranger into a hug, hugging his best friend tightly. “It’s going to be okay Jay. We got your back,” Antonio whispered into the Red Rangers ear. 

Suddenly Jayden pushed the Gold Ranger away. “That’s the problem!” the Red Ranger spat getting to his feet. “You all have my back! I don’t want to have y’all in my back! I don’t want you to die for my sake!” He shouted angrily. Antonio’s eyes went wide in confusion and hurt. Why didn’t Jayden want them to help him? 

The Gap Sensor went off making the Red Ranger wipe away his tears and left a puzzled Antonio on the ground. 

Tashiko watched the Rangers leave through the gates before stepping out of the house as well. She walked into the forest, wondering why Jayden was being so aggressive lately. She heard footsteps and turned around to find Hideo a few feet away from her. He was back into his Nighlok form and gave her a warm smile. “Hello Raikou-Hime. Long time no see.” 

“Hideo,” Tashiko smiled, seeing the Half-Nighlok. She rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. She smiled as he chuckled. “I haven’t seen you roam the forest,” Hideo pointed out. “What’s up with that?”

Tashiko sighed and crossed her arms, pouting. “The Rangers been keeping an eye out for me, after Dayu tried to kill me.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Hideo responded. “How’s Ami doing?” 

“She’s blended well,” Tashiko answered with narrowed eyes. “She hasn’t touched Emily.” She knew she had to reassure the Nighlok, knowing Emily was special to him. “Relieved to hear that,” Hideo sighed before noticing that Tashiko seemed worried. 

“I see you're troubled,” Hideo stated beginning the walk once more. Tashiko sighed, grabbing one of her pigtails and played with her hair. 

“It’s Jayden.” 

That made Hideo perk up and glance at Tashiko in worry. “Is he alright?” Hideo asked making Tashiko shake her head. “He’s...It’s hard to explain,” Tashiko began, glancing at Hideo. Her hazel eyes were shining in worry, catching Hideo’s full attention. “He’s...I think he’s losing it,” Tashiko replied, biting her lip. 

Hideo roared in laughter before stating, “You mean he’s going  _ crazy _ ?” 

“It’s not funny!” Tashiko snapped, glaring at the Half-Nighlok, showing him she wasn’t joking around. “He keeps having these recurring nightmares that keep him up at night. I’m terrified to think that these nightmares will come true and that he’ll snap.” She glanced at Hideo and whispered, “I don’t want him to snap. I don’t want him to be hurt anymore. Can you help me to why he’s having these nightmares?” Hideo bit his lip, clenching his staff tightly. He knew why Jayden was having these horrible nightmares.    


He was the cause of what the Red Ranger was going through. 

Hideo placed a hand on the crystal ball that was on top of his staff. He knew that the moment Tashiko made her appearance into the Rangers lives, the Red Ranger was suffering the consequences. Having Tashiko’s memories trapped in his crystal ball was having bad side effects to the Red Ranger.  _ The curse I placed on my staff probably landed in the Red Ranger _ , Hideo thought.  _ He probably felt my magic. This is not good. I can heal him but that would guarantee in Tashiko in gaining her memories back _ .  _ That’ll ruin my plans. _

“Hideo?” Tashiko’s voice interrupted his thoughts making him glance at the young teen. He smiled at her and took her hand. “Don’t worry Tashiko. I’ll find something to help the Red Ranger.” 

“Thank you,” Tashiko replied, giving him a warm smile, one that shattered Hideo’s heart. He knew he was lying to the young, innocent girl, but he had no other choice. 

He was doing it for her own good.

Hideo suddenly felt weak, making him touch his head. “Are you okay?” Tashiko asked worriedly, noticing him touching his head. He nodded at her and said, “Some Sanzu Water will fix me up. I’ll see you soon then, Raikou-Hime.” Hideo gave the younger girl a hug before disappearing through a gap. “Goodbye,” Tashiko murmured before heading back to the Shiba House. 

* * *

“Ami saved our asses, again,” Antonio grumbled as the Rangers made their way back to the Shiba House. “Oh come on, lighten up,” Ami smirked, walking backwards while facing the Gold Ranger. 

“You’re just mad because we girls, are better than you,” Mia replied as well, elbowing Emily. The Yellow Ranger forced a smile but quickly disappeared when she saw the gates. “I just remembered!” she gasped, rushing towards the Shiba House, leaving the other Rangers confused. 

Emily reached the backyard first and panted, biting her lip, not wanting to burst out crying. She hated how Ami was slowly making the Rangers her friends. She hated how well she got along with Mia. She hated how everyone was happy around the one who captured her for days and no one had noticed. She wiped the tears that were threatening to stream down her face, before finding Tashiko walking towards her. 

“Wow, you guys are early,” Tashiko stated as she hopped down to the ground. 

“The Nighlok left before we could defeat him, that’s what,” Emily replied, wiping her eyes. 

Tashiko noticed her red eyes, knowing the Yellow Ranger had been crying and asked, “Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I mean, no,” Emily whispered, glancing at the younger teen. She didn’t know why, but she felt so at ease around the hazel eyed teen. Tashiko always had this calming aura around her that made her feel, so calm. “Do you want to talk about it?” Tashiko asked, cocking her head to the side. Emily gave a nod, just as the others walked in towards the Shiba House. 

“Hi, Tashiko,” Antonio greeted her, earning a blush from the latter. “Hi Antonio,” Tashiko shyly replied before Emily grabbed her hand. “We’ll be in the forest. Tashiko wants me to help her with her Symbol Power.” She pulled the younger teen away, making the other Rangers exchange glances. Mike shrugged, walking inside of the Shiba House, followed by the others. 

Ami stayed behind and eyed the two teens, before slinking after them. 

Tashiko slowly painted the kanji for Lightning as she heard Emily’s rant about Ami. “We need to do something Tashiko,” Emily stated, glancing at the teen. “I’m tired that they treat her like a friend when in reality, she’s our enemy!” 

“We can’t do anything at the moment,” Tashiko sighed as she put her paintbrush down. “We don’t have proof. The Gap sensor doesn’t go off when she crosses the Shiba Gates. Besides, do you really want to put her against us more? She won’t hesitate to kill us.” 

“In deed I won’t,” came a voice, making the two girls grow alarmed.

They turned around, only for Tashiko to receive a blow to her face, sending her flying towards the ground. Emily immediately morphed, seeing a Nighlok standing before them. “I told you Emily, I told you not to tell anyone,” the Nighlok snarled, approaching the Samurai Ranger. 

Tashiko got to her feet, blood dripping down her mouth. She wiped her lip with the back of her hand and turned to glance at the Nighlok, who extended its claws at the Yellow Ranger. The Yellow Ranger summoned her SpinSword, blocking Ami’s attack. “Seismic Swing!” Emily shouted as her sword glowed yellow and swung in an arc at the Nighlok. 

Tashiko grabbed the paintbrush from the floor and slowly wrote a kanji in the air. “Lightning Strike!” Tashiko yelled, spinning the symbol around. A lightning bolt shot towards Ami, which Ami dodged with ease. “Never attack without knowing your enemies attacks,” Ami stated, writing a few symbols in the air before shooting them towards Tashiko. “NO!” Emily shouted, shooting towards the younger teen and pushed her out of the way. The symbols hit Emily making her demorph as a symbol was marked in her forehead. She collapsed to the ground unconscious. 

“Of course. Emily always has to save the poor innocent Tashiko,” Ami sneered. “Emily! Are you okay?” Tashiko asked but Emily didn’t respond making Tashiko glare at Ami. “What did you do?”

“I simply put a pain symbol,” Ami answered. “The moment she thinks of me, she will suffer immense pain.” 

Ami smirked, seeing Tashiko so invulnerable and said, “And as for you.” Ami extended her claws and approached her. “Today, I’ll give you a taste of my true power.” Tashiko quickly got to her feet, but Ami shot towards Tashiko too fast for her to react, stabbing her in the chest. 

The younger teen gasped out as Ami ripped her claws out of teen chest making her collapse into the ground. Tashiko began to spasm, twitching on the ground. “W-What did you do to me?” Tashiko gasped. Her body felt heavier and she felt weakened. “Well, if I would tell you, then it wouldn’t be my secret power, would it?” Ami smirked before shape-shifting back into a human. She turned around and left Tashiko and Emily laid on the ground. 

* * *

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mia asked Emily as she nodded. “I’m fine. I’m glad Tashiko and I made it out alive,” Emily stated as Mia bandaged her arm. She had banged it up during the fight with Ami but it wasn’t anything too bad. “That Nighlok sure caught us off guard,” Tashiko stated, slowly gazing at Ami who glared at her back. “I’m just glad y’all made it alive,” Jayden responded. “I’m glad too,” Mia smiled at the Yellow Ranger.

“What happened?” Mike asked Tashiko who glanced at the Green Ranger. “Ami attacked us in the forest,” Tashiko told him in a low tone. “She did something to Emily.” 

“What?” Mike asked in worry. “I-I, don’t know,” Tashiko stated before clutching her chest. “She also stabbed me in the chest. I don’t know what she did to me either.” Mike glanced at Tashiko in sympathy before glancing at Ami who was giving him a smirk. 

Mike clenched his jaw before Jayden cleared his throat, catching the rangers attention. “Rangers, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier,” he declared, glancing at them guilty. “That was uncalled for and it was stupid. I placed your lives in danger for having a bad day. I hope you can all forgive me.”

The Rangers exchanges glances before Emily smiled at him. “No worries Jayden. I know being the Red Ranger has it’s burdens. It can be hard and you’re going to have bad days. I forgive you.”

“I agree with Emily,” Mia nodded. “Just remember, we’re your teammates. We’ll have your back, whether is about fighting side by side or just talking about a problem,” Kevin shrugged. “See Jay, I told you they would understand,” Antonio stated, patting the Red Ranger's shoulder. Jayden gave them a small smile and said, “Yes, I see. Thank you.”

“Thank you.”


	21. Strange Case of the Munchies Pt. 1

Jayden drew up his b as he and the others headed to bed. It had been a long day and everyone was pretty exhausted. He had noticed something strange between Ami, Emily and Tashiko. Somehow they were avoiding each other. 

_ That’s strange _ , Jayden thought as he glanced at Antonio who was already snoring.  _ Why are they acting that way? _ He had also noticed Tashiko seemed different. The sensation he always felt around her was barely noticeable and seemed duller. He clenched his bed sheets tightly, wondering if Tashiko was okay. Did the Nighlok that attacked her and Emily, damage them? 

Jayden hoped that wasn’t the case. 

His eyelids began to grow heavy and Jayden was having a hard time keeping them open. Before he knew it, he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hideo was glaring at his crystal ball, growing more worried by the minute. He was trying to spy on Tashiko, but the images that appeared on his crystal ball were misty and unclear. He knew something bad happened to Tashiko and he had to find her as soon as possible. He stood up, and waved his staff, opening a gap. He disappeared through it before appearing near the Shiba House. 

The sky was beginning to change from the night sky to an orange glow. Hideo narrowed his eyes, changing into his half-human form and passed through the barrier symbols that surrounded the Shiba House. He quickly went to each of the Rangers windows, trying to find Tashiko’s room. 

After the third window, he found Tashiko asleep in her bed. Hideo sighed in relief seeing her alive and well, before frowning. He noticed something off about her. The purple aura that always surrounded her, seemed dimmer and weaker. “What happened Tashiko?” he murmured. “Why is your aura so dim?” 

Hideo stood by the window, thoughtful before his eyes went wide. He began to list off the reasons why her aura was dim and who could be responsible for it. Hideo clenched his jaw angrily, quickly scouting the other windows. He found Ami, sleeping soundly in her bed and opened the window. He jumped in quietly, seeing her sleeping profoundly before grabbing the latter by the neck, choking her.

Ami gasped awake, quickly grabbing into the hands that were squeezing her oxygen out to find an angry Hideo glaring at her. “What did you do to her, Uragiri?” he snarled angrily. “Do what?” Ami gasped out, only to receive a tighter grip. “What did you do to Tashiko?” Hideo growled dangerously. “You better spit it out, before I snap your neck.”

Ami smirked at Hideo.

* * *

Jayden opened his eyes to find himself standing in the darkness. He quickly stood on his feet, remembering that the last time he was standing in eternal darkness, he found himself staring at Antonio’s dead body. “Hello?” he called out. “Purple Ranger? Tashiko?” 

No one answered back, only the silence. 

Jayden felt a shiver run down his spine, the silence slowly drawing him a near panic.

Then he heard it. 

_ Red Ranger. _

Jayden turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. 

_ You’re not the one _ , came the voice once more. 

“Hello?” Jayden asked, spinning around in a circle. “Who’s talking?”

_ Incompetent fool _ , the voice stated in his ear. 

Jayden turned around but no one was around. 

The One _ would have noticed the enemy in your den _ , the voice whispered around the Red Ranger. 

“Enemy? Who? Ami?” Jayden asked, turning around. He froze when he saw a young woman standing a few feet away from him. She wore a tattered kimono with chains wrapped around her arms, legs and chest. Her hair reached to her waist but her face was obscured to Jayden, the only thing visible were those glowing red eyes. 

“Who...are you?” Jayden breathed. 

_ I am the one you seek,  _ the woman answered. 

“The one I seek?” Jayden repeated. “I don’t understand. Who are you? What’s your name?”

_ I cannot tell you my name, because I simply don’t remember, _ the woman answered. _ I only know that I am the scabbard of your sword, Jayden Shiba. I will always be by your side no matter what _ . _ We will meet again soon. Either in this world or the other _ . The image of the woman suddenly shattered, leaving Jayden very confused.

Who was that woman?

* * *

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ami growled, a sneer plastered in her face. “Have you forgotten that I’m prohibited to touch her? My mission is solely to destroy the Rangers. That is all.” She grabbed his hand and pushed it off making her sit up, transforming into her Nighlok form. “And you better watch it Hideo, Serrator will notice your sudden interest in the little girl. He will know something is up.” 

Hideo clenched his jaw before saying, “I don’t care, Uragiri. If I see you lay one hand on her, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

“I would like to see you try,” Ami growled. 

Suddenly the Gap sensor sounded, making the two Half-Nighloks glance at the glowing red light illuminating the room. Ami shape-shifted back into her human form and said, “You better bail, before they find you.” Hideo scoffed before disappearing in a swirl of magic. Ami quickly changed before rushing out of the door towards the Common room. Mentor Ji awaited them before stating, “There’s a Nighlok attacking the mall.”

“Let’s go,” Jayden ordered the Rangers, who rushed out of the Shiba house. 

Tashiko watched the Yellow Ranger leave with the Rangers and frowned. She had noticed Emily was acting strange after the symbols that Ami had hit her with. But she didn’t know what the consequences of those symbols could be. 

_ Ami wouldn’t just throw any symbol at Emily like that _ . _ There must be something to it. I need to watch her closely. _ She felt a pain in her chest and clutched it.  _ Damn. Whatever she did to me too, I can’t seem to function right. My chest is always getting these pains and I’ve been feeling sluggish. _

“Tashiko are you okay?” Mike asked, limping towards her. “I think so.” Tashiko touched her head. 

The Green Ranger looked over the young teen and said, “Well, since the Rangers are gone, how about we practice some sword fighting?” Tashiko gave him a smile and nodded. 

“That will be good.” 

* * *

Half an hour later the Rangers came back, bursting through the door bickering as they rushed towards the kitchen. Tashiko was grabbing a water bottle when the Rangers almost knocked her over to grab any food from the shelves and the refrigerator. 

“Wha?! Guys what are you doing?” Tashiko asked surprised as they started to eat anything on site. 

Mike blinked a few times, seeing Kevin and Mia fighting over a tub of ice cream. “Um, what happened to them?” he asked, just as a panting Emily came walking in. 

Tashiko watched in horror as Jayden and Antonio ate the last cookies from the cookie jar. “Yes! What happened? They’re eating the last cookies!” Tashiko whined with a pout. “Sorry guys, I tried,” Emily replied with a sigh. “A Nighlok called Grinatuar hit them with some dirt while they tried to save me. Now they won’t stop eating until we defeat the Nighlok.” 

“If we don’t defeat this Nighlok in time, they will burst from eating,” Ji explained, flipping some pages from an old, dusty book. “Wait, if they keep eating, they’ll  _ die _ ?” Mike echoed, his eyes opening wide. “That’s what the Nighlok is making them do,” Ji replied. “Make them eat until they burst.” 

“Nooo! Not the cheesecake!” Tashiko stated, running towards Jayden and Kevin who were pulling on the cake pan. She got the cake and pulled from the middle, trying to take away the cake from them.

“My secret stack of chips!” Mike yelled, seeing Mia reaching on the top of the fridge and ripped the bag apart. He tried to take the bag away from the Pink Ranger but she growled at him and bolted out of the kitchen. 

Mike gave Mia a weird look and stated, “Yeah. We need to defeat this Nighlok. Now.” 

“Emily, you’ll have to defeat the Nighlok,” Mentor Ji ordered as he pulled the egg carton away from Ami. “Me? By myself?” Emily squeaked. “But I don’t know how to defeat him!” 

“Find a way!” Ji replied, taking the salt away from Kevin. 

“Mike! Let’s try to tie them up!” Tashiko stated, taking out an Ancient Morpher Ji had given her. He gifted her the Ancient Morpher to have by her side in case of an emergency and for her to practice her Symbol Power. 

“Alright!” Mike stated, taking out his Samuraizer. “Symbol Power! Rope!”

Tashiko tried to paint the first stroke of kanji for 'rope' when a stab pain filled her chest. She gasped out, collapsing to her knees. She dropped the Morpher and clutched her chest. 

“Tashiko!” Mike gasped, rushing towards the younger teen. “Are you okay?” Tashiko touched her head and nodded. “I think so.” 

“What happened?” Mike asked in concern. 

“I don’t know. I tried to use Symbol Power but my chest started to hurt badly. It seemed like it actually hurt using my Symbol Power," Tashiko replied. 

“That’s strange,” Mike frowned. “That only happens if you use too much Symbol Power.” 

“And I haven’t been using Symbol Power,” Tashiko answered. “The last time I did, was when I was fighting….the Nighlok…” 

The sudden realization hit her like a rock. “The Nighlok did something to your Symbol Power, didn’t it?” Mike stated. “But what exactly?” 

Tashiko felt worry enter her chest. She had barely gotten her Symbol Power and now it had been snatched away. The only one to blame was Ami. 

“It doesn’t matter right now,” Tashiko told the Green Ranger. “We need to keep the Rangers to one place.” She got off the floor and quickly went towards the storage room and grabbed some rope. Mike frowned, worried but brushed it off. He got to his feet and said, “Symbol Power! Rope!” A rope appeared tying three of the Rangers together. “That should do it,” Mike stated satisfied. Tashiko sighed, dropping the rope she found. “Well, that shou-” 

“Symbol Power! Release!” Jayden stated, breaking the rope as the three Rangers scattered. Mike face palmed with a groan. “We should have taken their morphers away.” 

“It’s okay,” Tashiko patted the Green Ranger’s shoulder. “Let’s see if we can catch them again.”

* * *

Meanwhile in the Common room, Emily was pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a strategy to defeat Grinataur. 

“C’mon Em, think,” she murmured, biting her thumb. She was beginning to feel the weight and pressure on her shoulders. How could she single handedly defeat a  _ Nighlok _ ? She had never defeated a Nighlok by herself and much less keep up with the other Rangers. She was the weakest and slowest of the whole group. She was always the one left behind and never the one that delivered the final blow to a Nighlok. Emily had never once used the Super Samurai mode or even touched the BullZord disk to power up to Shogun mode. She sat down and sighed, raking a hand through her blonde hair when she heard a low chuckle. 

“Aw, is the job too much to handle, little Yellow?” came a voice, which Emily instantly recognized as Ami’s. “Ami!” Emily growled but her head flared up in pain. She gasped, clutching it as Ami neared the Yellow Ranger. “Tell me, Yellow Ranger, does it hurt? Do you feel the immense pain?” 

Emily didn’t answer but could only succumb to the pain. 

“That’s my own creation,” Ami continued. “A creation created to make you suffer. Suffer, like I did when I drowned in Sanzu water. The pain you’re feeling is the same I felt when those filthy red waters, burned my skin, corrupting me to no end.” 

“Please, make it stop,” Emily whispered, tears brimming in the corner of her eyes. “That’s how I want you Emily,” Ami chuckled lowly, her eyes flashing yellow and her pupil turned into a slit. Her right arm formed into a Nighlok arm and she stated, “That’s how I want you Emily! Begging me to stop the pain!” 

“Stop!” Emily whispered. “Ami, please stop!”

“No, today, you’re gonna die!” Ami yelled, extending her claws. She slashed at the Yellow Ranger but Mike’s Forest Spear stopped her. Ami glared at the Green Ranger who was glaring at her. 

Ami stepped back and transformed her arm back. “Of course, the Green Ranger comes to the Yellow Ranger’s rescue. How pathetic.” Emily glanced at her which made Ami glare at her. “Pathetic that you can’t even defend yourself from me. You little boyfriend has to come rescue you! How do you think you can defeat the Nighlok? You’re weak.” Mike got in front of Emily and snarled, “Get away from her.” Ami snorted and said, “You cannot defend her forever Green Ranger, next time, you won’t see me coming.” 

She turned around and disappeared from sight.

* * *

Tashiko tied Mia with rope and took her Samuraizer away. “One down, four more to go,” Tashiko sighed as Mia fidgeted in the chair. “I’m thirsty!” Mia wailed. “I want water.” Tashiko rubbed her face and was almost knocked over when Kevin and Jayden came running into the kitchen. 

“Give me the chocolate bar!” Jayden yelled, grabbing Kevin from his shirt. “They’re mine!” Kevin screamed, pushing Jayden away. Jayden accidently hit some dirty plates, knocking them down into the floor. They crashed, sending broken glass all over the floor. 

“He did it!” Kevin and Jayden stated pointing at each other. Tashiko face palmed with a groan. She heard shuffling and turned around to find Antonio rummaging the cabinets, opening cans of tuna. He ate it from the can before throwing the trash into the floor. He turned around to find more, only to find Tashiko glaring at him with her arms crossed across her chest. She reached towards his hands and swiped the can away from him. “Stop it!” she scolded before he pushed her and opened the fridge once more. Ji was pushing Ami away from fridge. But the Half-Nighlok took the broccoli and bolted from the kitchen. “The broccoli!” Ji yelled, going after the Half-Nighlok. 

Tashiko let out a frustrated whine.  _ This is getting worse by the minute! _

* * *

Mike turned to Emily and said, “Are you okay? Wow, it seems like I’ve been asking that a lot lately.”

"I’m fine Mike,” Emily replied, glancing at the ground. “Maybe Ami is right. I’m weak. Pathetic.”

“No Em, don’t listen to her,” Mike began

“How can I not think about it after all she’s done? She’s been trying to kill me! She did the-” Emily clutched her head as the pain flared up in her head once more. 

“Em please, sto-”

“No! You stop!” Emily told Mike, glancing at him. “Don’t you get it? She’s right! I’m always the one behind you guys. I never get the chance to go to the front lines. I’m always the one that gets protected!” She got to her feet and turned to glance at Mike. “I’m tired of that Mike! I want to be the one protecting all of you!” Mike grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Then do it. Show us you can defeat the Nighlok. You can do this. Don’t listen to Ami. She doesn’t know you like I do.” 

Emily blushed brightly before her smile disappeared. She laughed half heartedly. “I can’t even think about her. My head starts to hurt if I do.” 

“Em, then don’t think about it,” Mike told her, touching her cheek, wiping the stray tear from her eye. “I can’t. I want to know what she did to me,” Emily stated. “She told me it was a creation of hers, to make me suffer.” 

“Do you remember the symbols?” Mike asked but Emily shook her head. “Not clearly,” Emily responded. “It had some weird strokes. I’ve seen it before but I can’t place it where.” 

Suddenly the Gap sensor sounded, making the two Rangers jump. 

Emily swallowed knowing the time for her to defeat the Nighlok had come. Mike turned her head towards him and planted a kiss on her lips. Immediately the Yellow Ranger turned bright red and glanced at Mike who stated, “You can do it Emily. Believe in yourself.” He smiled and said, “Go kick some Nighlok ass for me.” 

Emily smiled and nodded, running out the door. 

Ji joined Mike as they watched Emily run out the Shiba House gates. “She can do it,” Mike told him. “I know she can,” Ji replied. 

Emily ran, filled with confidence before glancing back, wishing the others where running with her. She could only hear her footsteps and gave a sigh, knowing her friends weren’t going with her.  _ This is why I need to break the Nighlok’s spell. I need to believe I can do it. I can do it! _ The Yellow Ranger ran, knowing the city and her friends needed her to defeat the Nighlok. 

* * *

Tashiko chased the boys around the Shiba House but couldn’t catch them. She gave up and was currently walking towards the kitchen. She caught a glance of Ami sitting on the kitchen counter eating from a tub of ice cream. She let out a chuckle as she watched the Rangers wrestle over leftover pizza. 

Tashiko felt her lips curling and approached the latter, pushing Ami off the counter. The Half-Nighlok let out a surprised cry and landed on the ground. She rolled to her feet and glared at the person who pushed her, finding Tashiko slam into her, knocking her to the ground. Tashiko grabbed Ami’s hands and began to tie her with a rope. “What are you doing?!” Ami snarled, withering underneath the other girl's weight. “What do you think I’m doing?!” Tashiko snapped back. “Are you trying to tie me up?” Ami asked with a slight chuckle. “That’s adorable!”

Ami twisted her body and flipped Tashiko over, slamming her into the floor. Tashiko gasped, winded for a few moments before Ami grabbed her by the throat. “You can’t defeat me, Tashiko. You. Are. Weak!”

Tashiko grabbed Ami’s hair and pulled, making Ami cry out in pain. “Ow! Let me go!” Ami yelped, but Tashiko pulled harder making Ami let go of her throat. Tashiko flipped over, making her mount Ami once more and began to tie Ami’s hands behind her back. “I’m not weak!” Tashiko smirked. “I got you once more.” Ami laughed and said, “I let you win. That’s all.” Tashiko got off her and got Ami to her feet. She dragged her to the dining room where she threw the Half-Nighlok into a chair. 

Ami glared at Tashiko through her bangs, giving the younger teen a sneer. “Shut up,” Tashiko growled, narrowing her hazel eyes. “Tell me, Ami. Why do you want to hurt Emily?” Ami raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “I did not expect that question. I thought you were going to ask me what I did to you. Why you’ve been feeling weak and why you lose your breath for the little things you do. Have you not noticed how you keep panting for air?”'

Tashiko had been panting but she thought it was due to her running after the Rangers. But now that Ami had mentioned it, she did feel weaker after the whole fiasco in catching Ami. “Well, that too,” Tashiko declared, trying to not let Ami see her surprise. Ami laughed and said, “To answer your little question about Emily. I just love watching Mike suffer over the poor little thing.” 

“Mike?” Tashiko echoed surprised. “What do you have against Mike?” 

“He got lucky,” Ami growled, her face changing into fury. “He got the lucky side of the coin, while I got the flipside. This is just my little vengeance.” 

“You’re a monster,” Tashiko stated. “You love to see people suffer.” 

“Not just any people,” Ami replied. “Mike and you are my favorite candidates.”

“What did you do to Emily? What did you do to me?” Tashiko asked. “What I did to Emily is simply a pain symbol,” Ami pointed out. “She thinks of me, it brings her pain. For you, well, I severed your connections with your Symbol Power.”

“What?” Tashiko breathed. “You cannot use your Symbol Power anymore,” Ami sneered. “Once a Symbol Power has been unlocked, the user can do anything with it. Yours and like the Rangers, your Symbol Power is so great that it links with your life source. That’s why the Rangers cannot over do it or else they die.”

“That’s why you’ve been feeling so weak,” Ami laughed. “You can overdo it and die!” Tashiko unconsciously grabbed a knife from the counter and raised it into the air. “Shut up!” she yelled, her hazel eyes flaring up in anger. “The only one who’s going to die! Is you!” Ami’s eyes opened wide, her mind flashing back at the woman in the tattered kimono with the chains wrapped around her chest.

“Maria! Don’t do it!” 


	22. Strange Case of the Munchies Pt. 2

Emily rolled on the ground before getting to her feet. Grinataur smirked, throwing dirt at the Yellow Ranger who dodged his attacks. “I’m not going to miss this time Yellow Ranger!” he stated, throwing more dirt towards her.    
  
Jayden had escaped the Shiba House and had run towards the battlefield. He had seen Emily leave alone and he knew that she might need his help. He summoned the Black Box and morphed into the Red Ranger. He jumped in mid fight, catching Grinataur and Emily off guard. “Jayden? What are you doing here?” Emily asked, as the Red Ranger helped her to her feet. “You think after a bit of dirt, I was going to sit in the side lines?” Jayden teased. Emily smiled and said, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Jayden replied as he handed her the Black Box. “Kick his ass.” 

Emily glanced at the Black Box before looking at him, shock evident in her eyes. “Take it. You are more than ready Emily,” Jayden stated, placing his hands on top of hers. Emily grinned and nodded, walking backwards as she rushed back into the fight. Jayden powered down, leaning on his sword, feeling weakened. 

Emily faced Grinataur once more and stated, “Your days of making people eat are over!” 

“I’ll like to see you try!” Grinataur responded. Emily clipped the Black Box into her SpinSword and yelled, “Super Samurai Mode!” A bright yellow light bathed her before it disappeared, revealing the Yellow Ranger standing there a white cape flowing behind her. Emily had never felt such power in her life. She could feel it running through her veins and spun her disk in her SpinSword. “Super Seismic Swing!” She dashed forward, jumping into the air coming down with her sword into the Nighlok, slashing him in half. “No!” Grinataur yelled as he fell down, exploding. 

“Amazing!” Emily gasped, spinning around, the cape flowing behind her. Jayden felt his thirst go away and knew the Nighlok’s spell was gone. Suddenly Grinataur grew Mega sized and towered over the city. “You think you’re done with me!” Grinataur yelled. 

“I think it’s time we summoned the others,” Jayden told Emily who gave a nod. 

* * *

Mike walked into the Common room only to find Kevin passed out on the floor. His face was covered in chocolate and Mike covered his mouth from a laugh. He took out his Samuraizer and started to take pictures when suddenly Kevin twitched. Mike almost jumped out of his skin when Kevin sat up quickly before groaning. “Why do I feel like I ate a whole Thanksgiving Dinner?” Kevin stated before glancing at his hands covered in chocolate. “What happened?”

“You were under a Nighlok’s spell,” Mike informed the Blue ranger. “You okay?” 

“Apart from feeling stuffed, yeah,” Kevin nodded, getting to his feet. 

Mike smiled a sense of pride overwhelming him. Emily had done it. She had defeated the Nighlok by herself! 

Suddenly their Samuraizer’s rung. 

“Guys! We need your help! Grinataur went Mega Sized!” Jayden told them. “We’re on our way!” Kevin replied before closing the Samuraizer. “Wait, how did Grinataur get defeated? Wasn’t Jayden under the spell too?”

“Emily did it,” Mike smiled. “She fought it all by herself.” 

“She did?!” Kevin gasped before morphing. “We need to help her then! She can’t defeat its second form.” The Blue Ranger bolted out of the room before the Green Ranger could say anything. Mike walked around to find the others before seeing the Pink Ranger tied to a chair looking confused.

“Mike? What happened? Why am I tied? Ugh, I’m so stuffed I might survive a week without eating,” Mia groaned. Mike picked up her Samuraizer from the floor and untied the Pink Ranger. “The last thing I remember was getting hit by dirt.” 

“You were under a Nighlok’s spell,” Mike replied. “Emily defeated him all by herself.” 

“She did what?!” Mia shouted, morphing and rushing out of the door. Mike chuckled at Mia’s reaction before walking into the kitchen.

* * *

Tashiko froze at hearing Ami call her Maria. She stared at the Half-Nighlok who seemed actually terrified of her. Tashiko noticed what she was doing and took a few steps back, dropping the knife. Ami relaxed before laughing. “Pathetic. You don’t even have the guts to kill me.” She turned her hands into their Nighlok form, cutting the ropes loose. She approached Tashiko but stopped when Tashiko asked, “Why? Why did you call me Maria?” 

Ami froze at the remark and sneered, “I don’t know why did I?” She grabbed the latter by the throat making Tashiko gasp out. “There could be many reasons I did, but that’s what made you stop from killing me. The knowledge to know more about your past.” Ami laughed and stated, “I know so much, but I won’t tell. It's so much fun seeing you suffer instead. You should have killed me when you had the chance. I will make you suffer. I will enjoy killing you.” 

Ami heard Mike telling Antonio to help Emily and she knew she had to act quickly. She threw the younger teen to the ground and stated, “Say anything and you die. No, I won’t put a symbol like I did too Emily. I will sever your Symbol Power so bad, you will die.” Ami walked away leaving Tashiko on the kitchen floor. 

_ She’s right _ , Tashiko thought, glancing at the ground, tears blurring her vision.  _ I’m weak. I’m not a Ranger. I couldn’t kill her _ . She covered her face with one of her hands letting out a shaky sob. 

_ Raikou-Hime, you are not weak _ . The voice of Kaisoko-Hime filled her mind.  _ Do not let those hateful words fill your heart. Believe in yourself. You can defeat her _ . 

_ How? I’m not strong enough. She severed my Symbol Power, _ Tashiko answered. 

_ She severed your Symbol Power, but there’s a way to have them back. That’s only a fraction of your true power, _ Kaisoko-Hime told her.  _ You must let  _ her _ free again _ . 

Her? Tashiko thought.  _ Who is  _ her? 

“Tashiko!” Mike’s voice interrupted her thoughts, making her glance at the Green Ranger . “What happened?” he asked, helping her to her feet. “Ami happened,” Tashiko answered. Mike scowled and said, “She’s going to pay. She tried to kill Emily earlier!” As Tashiko heard that, she felt like she had gotten hit in her heart. She remembered Hideo’s words. He trusted her to protect Emily and she had failed already. Apart from that, she had Ami in her grasp; she could have ended her and Emily’s suffering! 

“I’m so stupid!” Tashiko murmured, covering her face with her hand once more. “Why? What happened?” Mike asked worriedly. “I had her in my grasp! I could have killed her!” Tashiko shouted. “But I hesitated! I hesitated dammit!”

“Tashiko, you’re not a killer,” Mike declared. “That’s why you hesitated.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Tashiko cried. “I hesitated! She, she…” 

“What did she do?” Mike asked, seeing how she trailed off. 

“She severed my Symbol Power.” 

* * *

Grinatuar fell down, exploding as he lost his second life. “Samurai Rangers, victory is ours,” Jayden stated as the MegaZord powered down. 

As soon as Emily’s feet touched the floor the Rangers surrounded Emily, congratulating her. She blushed in embarrassment and stated, “Thanks guys!”

“You did an excellent job Em,” Mia told her, hugging her tightly. 

_ I wouldn’t have done it without Mike’s confidence. He believed I could do it,  _ Emily thought. “It wasn’t just all me,” Emily told her, showing the Pink Ranger the Black Box. “Thanks to this, I was able to defeat Grinatuar in time.” 

“Hey, how about in celebration, we get ice cream?” Kevin suggested making the other rangers nod. Emily’s eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream and nodded. “Yes please! Oh! We should get some for Tashiko and Mike!” 

Ami watched the rangers disgust evident in her face.  _ Soon, you rangers will fall. _

_ Very, very  _ soon.

* * *

Sweat dripped down her forehead as Tashiko struggled to paint a kanji. She shook her head, panting. “See? I can’t do it.” Mike had told her it was nearly impossible to sever someone’s Symbol Power forever. Now they were testing on how bad the situation was. 

“You can barely write one stroke,” Mike commented before glancing at Tashiko who touched her head stumbling. “Tashiko!” He caught her before she hit the floor, worry entering his body. “Tashiko! Wake up! Tashiko!” But the young girl had lost consciousness and Mike was worried he might have accidentally killed her. “Tashiko! This isn’t funny! Wake up!” 

Mentor Ji walked in to find the Green Ranger holding the unconscious teen. “What happened?” Mentor Ji stated, quickly rushing beside the Green Ranger. “She told me! She told me that someone had disrupted her Symbol Power!” Mike replied exasperated. “I-I...” 

“Someone disrupted her Symbol Power?” Mentor Ji replied, tapping Tashiko’s cheek. “She thinks the Nighlok that attacked her and Emily did something to her,” Mike replied as Mentor Ji carried Tashiko towards the infirmary. “It’s impossible, right?” 

“It is, but not entirely,” Mentor Ji told him as he laid Tashiko into a bed. He turned to glance at Mike and stated, “You shouldn’t have made  her use Symbol Power. You could have killed her. You know that once a Symbol Power has been unlocked, it fuses with the person’s life force!” 

“I’m sorry!” Mike cried out. He felt terrified and guilty that he made Tashiko use Symbol Power. Mentor Ji sighed and glanced away. “Maybe it was a bad idea for you to train her.” 

Mike gaped at Mentor Ji, not believing what he had just heard. Mentor Ji was  _ doubting _ he was a good candidate to train Tashiko. His heart broke at those words and he slowly started to walk backwards, shaking his head. He rushed out of the infirmary, tears beginning to brim his eyes. 

* * *

_ She can’t do it. _

Tashiko’s eyes snapped open at hearing the voice and sat up, finding herself in a darkened room. 

“Hello?” Tashiko called out, getting to her feet as she glanced around, hearing incoherent whispering. 

_ She needs my power. _

A voice out of the whispering stood out among the rest, one Tashiko could clearly hear. 

“What power? Who’s there?” Tashiko asked. “Kaisoko-Hime? Are you there?” 

_ She needs me _ .

“Who’s talking?” Tashiko asked once more, glancing around.

_ I need to be free _ . 

Tashiko stopped in front of something she had never seen before. 

A cage. 

“What is that?” Tashiko whispered, nearing the cage. She stopped a few feet away from it, observing the metal cage. It was very dark and she could barely see the outline of a person. She could see a piece of purple cloth and a tattered red ribbon. A streak of lightning went through her hazel eyes, noticing that the items were extremely  _ familiar _ . Tashiko felt drawn to the items and reached out for them when suddenly a fire appeared in front of her. 

Tashiko jumped back in shock as Kaisoko-Hime appeared out of the fire. 

“Kaiso-” 

“I forbid you to near that cage,” Kaisoko-Hime stated, anger evident in her green eyes. “What? Why?” Tashiko replied, not comprehending the situation. “You cannot near it,” Kaisoko-Hime answered, narrowing her eyes. “Why not?” Tashiko replied, starting to get ticked off. Kaisoko-Hime wasn’t telling her why she couldn't get near the cage, despite her growing curiosity. “This is my mind!” “But this is my home!” Kaisoko-Hime said raising her voice. “I forbid you to get near her!” Tashiko’s eyes went wide. “Her? Is this the same person you said that I had to let free?” 

Kaisoko-Hime glanced at the ground and looked at the cage. “Yes. But it’s not time yet.” 

“I’m so confused Kaisoko-Hime,” Tashiko stated. “First you tell me to let her free and now you’re telling me I can’t approach her. I didn’t even know there were two people inside of my head!” 

“It’s not your time,” Kaisoko-Hime replied. “Then when is the time?” Tashiko challenged. “I’m growing tired that after all this time, I still can’t remember who I am. That the Symbol Power I have has been severed. I cannot do anything before I lose my breath or grow fatigued because my Symbol Power has been weakened!” 

“That has only been a fraction of your power,” Kaisoko-Hime pointed out. “The rest is still sealed away. And I can help you regain it back.” 

“How?” Tashiko asked as Kaisoko-Hime took her hand. “By digging up the lost memories,” she replied. “Come. I need to show you something.” She led the younger teen deep into her mind making Tashiko glanced back over her shoulder. The red ribbon was gone making Tashiko frown. 

She had to get those items without Kaisoko-Hime or the person inside the cage notice. 

The person in the cage moved, hearing Tashiko’s and Kaisoko-Hime’s fight, but was still asleep deeply; a sleep that they placed her in when they sealed her away. 

* * *

Hideo watched the waves of the ocean lap at his feet as he observed the blue sky. He was in his human form, watching the birds fly in the sky and people playing on the water. A sudden wind blew around him, making him close his eyes.  _ The air seems different today,  _ he thought as he opened his eyes once more.  _ It’s thick, suffocating, seems something bad is about to happen. _

Hideo narrowed his eyes.  _ I wonder if Serrator is still continuing his plans.  _ Kameyo suddenly appeared through a gap and walked towards him. “Hello Hideo,” she called, waving her hand at him and sat beside him. “Kameyo,” Hideo simply nodded. He let out a small smirk. He could asked Kameyo more about Serrator’s plan, after all the Nighlok was close to the white haired Nighlok. He was about to open his mouth when he noticed Kameyo shivering. He found that extremely odd, since the weather was actually warm and Nighlok’s simply didn’t get affected by the weather. 

“Are you alright?” Hideo asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m fine actually, better than ever,” Kameyo replied, a slight giggle evident in her voice. “Why are you shaking then?” Hideo said, confused by her remark. “It’s just the adrenaline,” Kameyo answered, glancing at him. Her eyes were glowing bright yellow and she seemed excited about something. 

“Adrenaline? Of what?” Hideo frowned. 

“Tomorrow,” Kameyo whispered, laughing quietly. “Is the day, we kidnap the Earth Samurai.” 

Hideo’s eyes went wide in horror. 

* * *

Mike paced back and forth as Tashiko still laid on the bed unconscious. Ji had told him that she was like this because her body needed to recover and she would be fine when she woke up. The Green Ranger couldn’t help but worry. He noticed a dusty old book underneath a few bed sheets. Curiosity got the better of him and picked it up. He looked it over, noticing that the leather covering was tattered and cracked. 

Mike opened it, despite hating reading. He hated reading books as far as he could remember, the teachers always forcing him to read. He skimmed through it, wondering how Kevin could read the old dusty samurai books. He snorted, knowing the answer to the question. His hand paused on one of the pages, noticing a Purple Samurai Shogun. “What the hell is this?” Mike murmured, flipping the page once more. He noticed the pictures of the Purple Samurai Ranger, who was banished from the Tengen Gate for breaking a Samurai Clan rule. It didn’t specify what rule or what had the Purple Samurai done to be exiled.

The Purple Ranger had disappeared, never to be seen again. 

* * *

“What?” Hideo gasped, quickly getting to his feet. “Which one? Which Earth Samurai are you kidnapping?” 

“Don’t get your panties on a twist,” Kameyo giggled. “Or what? Do you have a thing for the Yellow Ranger?” 

Hideo blushed in embarrassment and stated, “That’s none of your concern! Which one are you kidnapping?” 

“The sickly one,” Kameyo smirked.  _ Serena _ , Hideo thought narrowing his eyes.  _ Kameyo and Serrator are planning to kidnap Emily’s sister! _


	23. Confessions

Tashiko found herself at an ancient temple. 

“Where am I?” Tashiko asked, glancing around. “We are at the Tengen Gate,” Kaisoko-Hime replied, appearing behind her. “What’s the Tengen Gate?” Tashiko inquired looking at Kaisoko-Hime. “This is the place where the first Power Ranger Samurai fought against the Nighlok,” the fire princess replied. “This is also where you and I trained for three intense years. Until the time of Master Xandred.” 

Kaisoko-Hime glanced at the ground sadly and stated, “We won and lost that battle in the same time. If I only I haven’t been so naive…” Kaisoko-Hime shook her head, covering her face with her hands. “If I only had stopped myself from that grave mistake. This wouldn’t have happened.” 

“What happened, Kaisoko-Hime?” Tashiko asked, her hazel eyes examining the fire princess. “This! This disaster!” Kaisoko-Hime cried. 

“What disaster?” Tashiko cried back, getting more confused by the minute. 

Suddenly a howling wind picked out of nowhere, making the two women cover their faces from the harsh wind. 

_ You’re talking too much… _

Tashiko widened her eyes at the distorted voice and glanced around for the source. The memory they were in, suddenly shattered into pieces. Tashiko covered her face with her arm. The cage she had seen earlier was more visible but this time, she could see a chained hand grab one of the bars. 

Before she could do anything else, she was plunged into the darkness. 

* * *

Mike was still flipping through the pages of the book when Tashiko gasped awake, scaring him out of his skin. “Tashiko!” he yelped, throwing the book into the air. He caught it before nearing the younger teen. “Hey, are you alright?” Mike asked her as she touched her head. “Yeah,” Tashiko nodded, her heart still beating after that mysterious and dark voice.

_ You’re talking too much _ .

Tashiko shivered wondering whose voice was that. Was it the person in the cage? Was it someone else? She shook her head, pushing that to the back of her mind when she noticed a  _ book _ in Mike’s hands. “Is that a book?” she asked making Mike give her a surprised look. “What? Oh! Yeah! It’s a um...book.” 

Tashiko laughed, seeing Mike’s embarrassed face. “It’s okay Mike. It’s okay to get a book.” 

“Yeah, well, you might be interested in what this says,” Mike told her, opening the book and showed her a picture of the Purple Shogun. Tashiko grabbed the book, glancing at the pictures of the Purple Shogun before stating, “I’ve seen this before.” 

“You have?” Mike stated surprised. “Yes,” Tashiko murmured. “This Purple Shogun is called Akiko, the traitor.” 

* * *

The Rangers spun around when they heard the sounds of Moogers. They glanced at the approaching monsters, morphing. 

“Moogers?” Kevin asked confused as he summoned his SpinSword. “Another Nighlok attack? So soon?” Ami asked, summoning her SpinSword as well. She didn’t think Master Xandred was that stupid to send another Nighlok after the Rangers. “Let’s finish them,” Jayden stated as they shot forward to attack them. The Rangers defeated the Moogers with ease before checking the surrounding area for a Nighlok. 

Satisfied that there wasn’t one, they powered down. “That was strange,” Kevin stated as he glanced around. “Usually when theres Moogers, there’s a Nighlok.” 

“This time, there was no Nighlok,” Jayden replied darkly. He began to fear that Master Xandred and the other Nighloks were planning something big.

“Do you think this was a distraction?” Emily quietly said as she looked at the Rangers worriedly. “Probably,” Ami murmured. She knew this attack wasn’t Serrator’s work, but probably Xandred’s. That actually made her worry. 

Emily glared at Ami, thinking that this might be her doing but her head suddenly began to hurt.  _ Try not to think about her. Don't think about her _ , Emily thought as she touched her head. “Are you okay Em?” Mia asked seeing how she had a hand on her forehead. Emily nodded. “I’m fine Mia, don’t worry about me.” 

“So what now?” Kevin asked, glancing at Jayden. “We go home and try to figure out what this attack was about,” Jayden answered. “They must be planning something,” Antonio replied. “They don’t usually attack like this, do they?” 

“No, and I tend to find out,” Jayden replied. 

The Gold Ranger watched as the Red Ranger left the other four Rangers by themselves. 

* * *

“How do you know this?” Mike asked, looking at Tashiko. “I don’t know,” Tashiko answered, glancing at Mike. “It feels like I read this before.” 

“What’s it about? I can’t read Japanese,” Mike stated, pointing at the picture of the Purple Samurai laid on the ground before the Tengen Gates. “Um, I don’t know if…” Tashiko trailed off, reading the notes. “I apparently I know Japanese.” 

“Really?” Mike said blinking a few times. “Yeah,” Tashiko nodded. “I can understand what this book is saying.” 

“What does it say?” Mike asked. “It talks about how Akiko, the Purple Samurai Ranger of that time, had broken the rule the Purple Samurai Shogun had established,” Tashiko began.

"Akiko had broken the rule, one that prohibited in saving the other Rangers. The Elder of the Tengen Gate had established a rule that prohibited the Purple Samurai Ranger to use _that_ specific technique. She was exiled out of the Tengen Gate and banished from the Samurai Clan." 

“That’s why there hasn’t been any Purple Samurai Rangers,” Mike noted. “But if they had been banished, why did Ji accept Ami?” 

“I don’t know,” Tashiko murmured. “We need to find out.”

* * *

The Rangers had returned to the Shiba House. Tashiko and Mike were nowhere to be found. They assumed they were training again and let them be. The others were discussing the mysterious Mooger attack while Jayden’s thoughts drifted away. He was wondering if Master Xandred was launching an all out attack on them. He felt his stomach turn at that thought and knew that if Master Xandred appeared in their world, he would have to seal him away with the Sealing Symbol. The problem with that was, he didn’t have the capacity to do the Sealing Symbol correctly. The ones he did, where imperfect and could risk in letting Master Xandred loose again in the future. The only person who could the Sealing Symbol perfectly was  _ her _ . 

_ She _ will come soon to the Shiba House and take his place in order to seal away Master Xandred for good. 

Jayden glanced at the Rangers, watching them argue about the random Mooger appearances. He felt his heart break knowing that soon, he had to them them the truth:

He wasn’t the **real** Red Ranger.

Jayden began to think different case scenarios where he would tell them the truth and the Rangers hated him forever. There wasn’t one scenario where the Rangers were okay with his secret. He rubbed his face with his hand, knowing his life was a lie; a cover up to protect his older sister. He wondered if this sacrifice of living a lie was worth it. 

“Jayden?” 

He turned to glance at Antonio who was looking at him in concern. “Are you okay?” Jayden nodded, forcing a smile. “I’m fine,” he replied, his voice cracking betraying the smile he had. “Excuse me guys. I’m suddenly not feeling that good.” He left the Rangers, making them exchange glances. Antonio sighed, knowing something was up with Jayden and went after him. 

* * *

Tashiko closed the book before getting to her feet. “I need to show this to Jayden,” she stated making the Green Ranger raise an eyebrow.  _ So he can stop insisting I’m the Purple Samurai Ranger _ , she thought. “Why?” Mike asked. “Because, I need to show him this. Show him Ami doesn’t belong with the team.” 

Tashiko left the infirmary with Mike on tow. “Tashiko stop! This is too dangerous,” Mike told her. “Ami will now you’re going to this. She’s going to hurt Emily.” 

“If we don’t do this, Emily isn’t the only going to get hurt,” Tashiko answered. Mike looked at Tashiko, who left towards her room. 

_ I just hope Ami doesn’t know what you’re going to do Tashiko, _ Mike thought. 

* * *

Kaisoko-Hime paced back and forth in Tashiko’s inner mind.  _ I almost told her what I did, _ Kaisoko-Hime thought, biting her thumb.  _ I’m an idiot! Tashiko shouldn't learn what I did for her. _ She couldn’t tell her that she had sacrificed herself for Tashiko. She could never know that her spirit had inhabited her body, in order to revive the dying Maria. She could still remember how the Purple Ranger had taken Xandred’s sword through her chest, killing her in that instant. She remembered Jayden’s trembling body as his best friend died in front of him. Kaisoko-Hime remembered shedding tears as the Purple Rangers body collapsed in a bloody heap in front of them. Her best friend, her sister not bound by blood, had died. She couldn’t let her die, after all, they had won the battle against Master Xandred.

She then sacrificed herself, giving up her life force for Maria to live. 

She had sealed a fraction of her spirit inside of the Purple Ranger, becoming Maria’s guide for the rest of her life. Kaisoko-Hime paced back and forth once again before hearing chains moving around. 

_ So many months… _

Kaisoko-Hime glanced at the cage that was becoming more visible. 

_ My destiny… _

Her eyes went wide in horror as a hand gripped the cage. A strong force of magic forced the person to be pushed back to the end of the cage. 

_ He will pay for sealing me away! _

“It’s not your time,” Kaisoko-Hime told the person. “He will release you when the time comes.”

_ I am not a weapon to be wielded by you bastards _ , the person answered back.  _ You will all pay for keeping me away _ . 

Kaisoko-Hime walked away from the cage, panic brewing in her chest. 

_ You cannot run away from this, Kaisoko-Hime _ , the person continued, their red eyes glowing.  _ Soon, I’ll be free. _ The presence that was felt those few months back manifested around Kaisoko-Hime, making her fled the area, leaving the person in the cage behind her. 

* * *

Antonio stepped out into the backyard, finding Jayden sitting down on the porch. He sighed and said, “I know you’re worried about the Mooger attack, but we got this Jay.” Jayden sighed, glancing at the Gold Ranger, who sat beside him.  “I know but that’s not what I’m worried about.” 

“Then what is it?” Antonio asked, looking at Jayden. Jayden looked at Antonio, contemplating whether to tell the Gold Ranger or not. But how would he react with the truth? Would he hate him for lying to him all this time? Would he hate him for keeping that big of a secret from him? The Rangers? Jayden shook his head and stated, “It’s too personal. Thank you for caring though.” Antonio felt hurt that Jayden couldn’t trust him enough to tell him what was wrong but let it slide. “Whenever you feel like talking, you can tell me,” Antonio told the Red Ranger. Jayden gave him a small smile.

“Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Antonio grinned. “Hey I heard Mia’s cooking tonight.” Jayden chuckled. “I wonder who is helping her.” 

“You know it,” Antonio winked. 

“Kevin and Mia need to stop dancing around each other and just go out already!” Tashiko’s startled them both. The two Rangers turned to look at her and Mike. 

“Do you know what she’s cooking?” Mike asked, patting his stomach. “Don’t know, but it better be good, I’m starving,” Antonio replied. They laughed before Mike stated, “I’ll see if I can find Emily.” Antonio glanced at Tashiko who was watching Mike walk away and felt a tinge of jealousy. “You two have been spending a lot of time together.”  _ Why am I feeling angry for Mike being with Tashiko? _

“Well, yeah,” Tashiko nodded. “He’s my mentor after all.” She raised an eyebrow at him before seeing the blush dusting Antonio’s cheeks. She instantly blushed as well and thought,  _ Is he jealous? _ “I-I’m going to head inside now,” Tashiko stated, bolting inside of the house. Jayden raised an eyebrow while Antonio glanced after Tashiko.  _ Am I...jealous _ ? Antonio thought. “Stop checking her out,” Jayden teased as he walked past him making him exclaim, “No I’m not!” 

“Sure,” Jayden winked. 

* * *

Mia placed the plates on the tables and let out a sigh. She was very nervous tonight; it was the first meal she cooked by herself! Of course, she had Kevin’s help but most of the work was done by her. She blushed, remembering how Kevin had guided her through the recipe. How his strong arms grabbed her’s, helping her flip the food and mix the cake’s batter. Mia giggled silently before hearing the timer going off. She quickly rushed to the kitchen to take the cake out, but found Kevin had gotten there first. 

Kevin placed the baked cake on the kitchen counter before glancing at Mia who approached him. He smiled at her and said, “Everything is coming out perfect Mia.” 

“Good,” Mia replied, opening the cabinet to take out some frosting. They hid the frosting as high as the other taller Rangers could, or else the younger ones (which was Mike, Emily and Tashiko) would eat it and get hyperactive. “Want to decorate the cake?” Mia asked the Blue Ranger as she placed the frosting in the counter. “Sure,” Kevin nodded as he looked for the decorating tools. After a while, he found them and placed them on the counter. “I think the cake’s cooled,” Mia stated, examining the cake. “Great! Let’s get started!” Kevin stated as he opened the icing and placed it inside one of the frosting bags. He gave one to Mia and began to decorate the cake. “You have to wait till the cake cools, or else the frosting won’t stick or it’ll melt,” Kevin told Mia as he concentrated on decorating the cake. 

Mia watched Kevin and cocked her head. The more she looked at him, the more she could see how cute he was. She loved how intelligent he was, he was caring and his personality to her, was fantastic. 

Kevin could feel Mia’s stare and glanced at her, seeing her straight into her chocolate eyes. His cheeks began to grow hot and he knew he was blushing so hard, he was the same color as Jayden’s red shirt. His heart was beginning to grow faster as she approached him. She touched his cheek and Kevin felt his throat go dry. 

Mia could feel her heart beating faster as well and she said, “Sorry, you had frosting in your cheek.”

“I-It’s fine,” Kevin chuckled nervously, quickly turning away and concentrated on the cake. Mia grabbed her hair and nervously began to play with it. What was she thinking? Did she want to kiss Kevin? 

Kevin placed the frosting bag down and bit his lip. He knew what Mia was about to do. She was about to kiss him! But why did it turn so awkward? He knew she wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her!  _ Oh to hell with it! _ Kevin thought as he turned around and touched Mia’s face. “Mia, I want to tell you something,” he began, glancing at the floor. “I always liked you since the first day we me-” 

He was silenced as Mia planted a kiss on his lips, making his eyes go wide. Kevin felt like his heart was about to explode and returned the kiss, hugging Mia tightly. “It was about time,” Mia whispered as she broke the kiss. “About..” Kevin stammered. “This,” Mia giggled. “We kept dancing around and never got straight to the point. We had crushes on each other but neither one of us was brave enough to face it.” Kevin chuckled and nodded, “Yes. That was true.” 

“Well, I guess this means, we both like each other doesn’t it?” Kevin stated nervously. Mia planted another kiss on his lips with a giggle.

“Does that answer your question?” 

* * *

Ami walked by the kitchen before freezing, seeing Mia and Kevin hugging and kissing each other. She gasped out, her eyes wide as she took a step back. She began to quiver and tears began to fill her eyes. “Why?” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand before rushing towards her room. She went inside and shut the door closed. She leaned against the door and slid down beginning to weep.  _ Why? Why does she get to enjoy him and I, get stuck here? It’s like a cursed reflection. She’s the happy side while I live the living curse... _ Ami clenched her jaw growing bitter by the second, as her mind kept replaying Mia and Kevin kissing over and over.  _ It’s all your fault Maria. You cursed me but I’ll make you suffer.  _

_ Like I am.  _


	24. Consequences

“We need to finish the cake,” Mia giggled as she parted away from Kevin. “Right,” Kevin laughed, feeling like the luckiest man alive. He couldn’t believe it! The girl he liked had shared the same feelings for a while. “So, um, since this happened,” Kevin began, scratching the back of his head. “What do we do? I mean, we like each other and stuff, but I mea-” 

Mia placed a finger on his lips and gave him a warm smile. “How about this, worry wart? We’ll see after a couple of dates if it’s official. We can go…” She tapped her chin before snapping her fingers. “We can go to the movies!” Kevin nodded and stated with a relieved sigh, “That’ll be nice.”

“It’s a date,” Mia winked before grabbing the plate with the dinner she made and made her way to the dining room. Kevin smiled, not believing what had happened. First a kiss and now a date! Could this day get any better?

* * *

Tashiko stood under the shower head as she contemplated on what Antonio had told her earlier. _Antonio seemed…._ jealous _that I was with Mike,_ she thought. _Why? Does he like me?_ Tashiko instantly blushed at the thought and got out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and another for her hair. She walked to her room and went to get her new change of clothes. 

_Maybe he does_ , Tashiko thought. _In my dreams, we always seem together…_ She blushed once more and dried her hair. _Nah, they're just dreams. But then...Hideo had told me those dreams were from the future...Does that mean that we actually...get..._ together? 

Tashiko covered her face as she felt her cheeks go hot. _But if that’s true...then he’s going to die in the future…_ She sat down on her bed before feeling something poking her butt. Tashiko got to her feet and glanced at what poked her before seeing the book she had taken from Mike earlier in the day. She grabbed it and flipped through the pages, remembering she was going to show it to Jayden, but had forgotten. 

_I guess, I can read this_ , Tashiko stated as she opened the first page. 

**_Prologue: The First Purple Samurai_ ** **.**

* * *

Antonio was walking down the hallway to call down the rangers for dinner before bumping into Ami. “Hey Ami,” Antonio smiled. “Mia says dinner is ready.” Ami gave him a sad smile and stated, “I’m not hungry. Tell Mia I said sorry.” She began to walk down the hallway before Antonio called her back. “Are you okay, Ami?”

“Yeah,” Ami nodded. “I’m going to get some fresh air.” 

Ami continued to walk down the hallway and stepped outside the get some fresh air. She took out a small notebook and flipped the pages to find the last entry. 

_I won’t write Dear Diary from now on. The person who wrote, Dear Diary, is long gone, dead. Today, I’ve been reborn as a Nighlok-Ranger. Serrator, who is long dead, saved me from turning completely into a Nighlok much to Xandred’s rage. I saw how my fellow friends, Rangers, turned their backs against me when I needed them the most. I saw how Maria, stopped Kevin from saving me and told him, that I was a lost cause. I swear that from this day forward, I’ll take revenge on the Rangers that turned their back against me. I’ll slaughter them all, starting with the cause of my misfortune:_

_Maria._

Ami glanced at the notebook before it caught on fire. She let it hit the ground as the diary went up in flames. _I’m no longer Mia. I left that part of my humanity a long time ago. I am Ami, the Nighlok-Ranger_. She walked out of the Shiba Gates and once she was far enough where the Gap Sensors wouldn’t catch her, she disappeared through a gap. 

She appeared in the Netherworld in her Nighlok form and glanced around. She spotted Kameyo who was refreshing herself with Sanzu water. “Kameyo,” Ami called, walking towards the blue haired Nighlok. 

Kameyo glanced up to see Uragiri walking towards her. “Uragiri,” Kameyo smiled with a wave. “Where’s Serrator?” Ami asked her. “He went into the world of the living,” Kameyo told her. “He’s getting the preparations ready for Phase Two.”

“Phase Two?” Ami echoed before narrowing her eyes. “He’s moving the plans that fast?”

“Yes,” Kameyo nodded. “Let’s go. He’ll need your help, Uragiri.” Ami gave a nod as the two female Nighloks disappeared through a gap.

* * *

Mia glanced at the Rangers nervously as everyone began to take a bite out of her food. She began to sweat nervously and began to play with her hair before Kevin’s warm hands stopped her. He gave her a smile before the Gold Ranger stated, “This is _fantastico_!” 

Mia instantly smiled in relief. “Yes! It’s really good!” Emily nodded. “I agree,” Jayden nodded. Tashiko also nodded as well before Mike stated, “This is better than the other things you cooked.” Emily elbowed him and gave him a glare. “Mike, be nice,” Emily frowned. “Sorry,” Mike laughed nervously. 

Mia looked at Kevin, excitement gleaming in her eyes. “Thank you Kev. It wouldn’t have come out perfect without you.” Kevin blushed and glanced at his plate, taking a bite of the food himself. 

Tashiko glanced at Jayden while he ate and wondered if she should tell him about the Purple Shogun book. “How’s training with Mike?” Jayden asked her as he took another bite. “It’s been going well,” Tashiko answered.

“Ji told me that the Nighlok you and Emily encountered the other day, has severed your connection with your Symbol Power.”

“Well, yes,” Tashiko nodded. “Hopefully, I can fix it. Jay, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Jayden asked, looking at her worriedly. “It’s nothing bad,” Tashiko told him. She glanced at her plate before letting out a sigh. “It’s just...My memories keep flowing in you know? And I’m remembering this blonde woman with a red ribbon.” Jayden raised an eyebrow as he drank some water.. “She’s so beautiful,” Tashiko commented as she smiled. “She has beautiful green eyes, like yours. Long blonde hair that is tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon. She wears gorgeous red kimono with white flowers.” 

Jayden choked on the water, spluttering and coughing on it. Everyone on the table went silent and glanced at the Red Ranger in concern. “Are you okay?” Tashiko asked alarmed. “Was my food that bad?” Mia asked worriedly. “I’m okay,” Jayden coughed, shaking his hand. “Are you sure?” Tashiko asked in concern. “Yeah I’m fine,” Jayden nodded. 

Satisfied the Red Ranger was okay, the others continued with their conversations. Antonio glanced at the Red Ranger whose smile had disappeared and a concerned face had appeared. He glanced at Tashiko who looked confused and hurt. He had seen her talk to him and wondered what she had told him. 

“I’m sorry Jayden, did I say something wrong?” Tashiko told the Red Ranger. Jayden glanced at her, seeing her hazel eyes were worried sick. “No,” Jayden replied before ruffling her hair much to her annoyance. “Don’t worry about me squirt.”

“Hey!” Tashiko protested, trying to fix her hair. “I’m taller than Emily!”

“By a few centimeters,” Jayden winked making her pout. 

After dinner, the others had decided to join in and watch a movie. Jayden had excused himself and had gone to his room to shower. As he stood under the pouring water, he remembered on what Tashiko had told him: blonde hair, green eyes, wore a red ribbon and a red kimono with white flowers. 

_It’s a perfect description of her_ , Jayden thought, narrowing his eyes. _A description of my sister. But how, how does she know about her? How does Tashiko know of Lauren?_ He raked a hand through his hair and could only wonder. When did Tashiko meet Lauren? Why did she meet her? How did Tashiko find her? He closed his eyes as a million questions began to appear in his head. Jayden wanted to know who Tashiko really was. 

_Who was actually Tashiko?_

* * *

Hideo watched the Shiba House at the distance. He glanced at his golden staff and the crystal ball before letting out a sigh. Tomorrow they would take Serena hostage in order to lure the Rangers out. He clutched his staff tightly and whispered, “I’m so sorry Emily. I know this will hurt you so badly. I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.” 

Hideo began to weep, collapsing to his knees. He glanced at his reflection, seeing his human form. His long brown hair that reached his shoulders and the scars that crossed his face. _If only the Rangers knew_ , he thought. _Mike and I are the same: one stricken with a curse to roam for immortality while the other fulfills his destiny as a Green Ranger. Ami, stricken with grief and bitterness, while the other filled with happiness and love. Maria, cursed to relive the past in order to stop_ our _future from happening_. 

“Except,” Hideo murmured as he wiped his tears away and transformed into his Nighlok form. “This time, this timeline will be weaved by me.” He raised his staff and gave a sick smirk as the crystal ball glowed. “I have the Purple Rangers memories and she will be wielded as a weapon for me. Soon, you will rise again, Purple Ranger. Your mission, will be by my command.”

_Hideo looked at the battlefield as a storm whirled around the last three Rangers. He hid behind a rock as he viewed the Rangers fight their last battle with Master Xandred. He watched as Xandred cut Emily in half making him scream, “EMILY!”_

_Hideo covered his mouth in horror as she collapsed in a bloody heap, dead. The Purple Ranger approached the Yellow Ranger before lightning crackled around her. Hideo watched as the purple streak rushed into the fight with the Red Ranger, fighting with all her might. Hideo ran across the battlefield and approached the Yellow Ranger. He glanced at her closed eyes and cried, feeling her face cold as ice._

_He suddenly heard a large boom and glanced up to see a purple light opening up a portal. Hideo quickly got to his feet and watched as the Red Ranger fought with Master Xandred before seeing the sword go through his chest._

_“Jayden!” the Purple Ranger cried. Hideo’s eyes went wide in horror as the Red Ranger grabbed the sword coughing up blood. “Go!” he yelled at the Purple Ranger. “You must go and save the past!”_

_The Purple Ranger shook her head and screamed, “NO! I can’t leave you here! I can-”_

_“Go!” Jayden yelled as Master Xandred yanked out the sword out of the Red Rangers chest._

_Jayden gasped out, blood spurting out of his mouth as he collapsed backwards._

_“Jayden!” the Purple Ranger screamed._

_“Fool!” Master Xandred snarled, rushing towards the Purple Ranger. She turned around and ran, nearing the portal. She glanced back only to find Master Xandred raising the sword at her._

_The blade slashed at her stomach, cutting a large wound through her body._

_“No! Maria!” Hideo yelled, as Master Xandred was about to land the finishing blow. “Forest Vines!” Vines shot from the ground, pinning Xandred down as Maria staggered with her wounds. Hideo shot forward and pushed her into the portal, both of them disappearing in a flash of purple._

_Jayden smiled, seeing Maria had disappeared through the portal before raising his Samuraizer with a bloody hand. He began to draw a kanji before the portal sealed completely:_

_“Dead End.”_

Hideo glanced at his crystal staff before noticing that someone was watching him. He spun around to find Serrator standing behind him. “Now, Hideo,” he said in a cool tone. “I don’t really like when Nighloks keep things from me.” He paced around the Half-Nighlok before stopping in front of him. “Tell me, what is this plan of yours? What is this about the Purple Ranger and the timeline? Who are you really?”

Hideo clenched his jaw angrily and stated, “That is none of your concern, Serrator.”

“It is my concern when I brought you on board with my plan,” Serrator replied. He raised his hand as Hideo’s staff shot towards Serrator’s hand. The Nighlok looked it over and said, “This is a very fine staff, Hideo. It would be shame if I broke it, wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t,” Hideo stated growing alarmed. “Then tell me about your plan, Hideo. Who is this Purple Ranger you mentioned? I certainly know that Ami isn’t the Purple Ranger. Who is she?” 

Hideo gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn’t lie to the king of all Nighloks. He had opened his big mouth and now, he had to tell Serrator everything. 

“I’ve been observing the girl that has been inside of the rangers den,” Hideo began. “Ah, yes Tashiko, the one Ami has been so desperate to kill,” Serrator smirked. “That girl, isn’t an ordinary human,” Hideo stated. “That girl has the power to destroy the world.”

“Does she know of her powers?” Serrator asked in concern. “No, I’ve talked to the brat,” Hideo replied. “She has amnesia, doesn’t know who she is, or knows of the power she has.” 

Hideo summoned his staff back into his hands and the crystal ball glowed. “This staff of mine has the power to get her to do what I want.” Serrator smiled before laughing. “Oh my, I certainly want to see that, but it’s too late for that. I already have that girl in my plans. She has to die.” Hideo’s eyes went wide and he snarled, “What?”

“She is in the way of my plans," Serrator shrugged. “Too bad, she’ll never see who she really is, or the power she could have wielded. Such a shame.” 

“Think of what you do with her!” Hideo shouted as Serrator raised his hands to leave. “She has the power to change time!”

Serrator paused and lowered his hands. “What?” 

“That girl, has the power to shift time,” Hideo declared. “She is the Purple Ranger, the Samurai of Time.”

* * *

The next day, the Rangers had taken the day off and had decided to go to the park. “Catch!” Mike called out as he threw the frisbee. “I got it!” Emily yelled as she jumped to catch it. “Hey! No fair!” Antonio frowned as the Gold Ranger crossed his arms. “You keep throwing it towards Emily!”

“I agree with Antonio, what about us?” Jayden replied, raising an eyebrow. “Well, here you go!” Emily stated throwing it at the two other Rangers. Jayden and Antonio prepared themselves to catch it only for Tashiko to jump in, catching it. “I got it!” she laughed, sticking out her tongue at the Red and Gold Rangers. “I’m going to get you,” Antonio warned playfully as he rushed towards her. “Em! Catch!” Tashiko told the Yellow Ranger, throwing the frisbee at her. 

Antonio crashed into Tashiko, both of them falling into the grassy ground.

Antonio landed on top of Tashiko, making them blush a deep red. “Aw! How cute!” Kevin called from the swings as he pushed Mia on one of them. Antonio quickly got up and helped the younger teen to her feet. “Sorry!” both of them said at the same time, blushing once more. 

Suddenly screams filled the air as the Rangers glanced to see the people running away from the park. A tall Nighlok that was hunched over and had fur covering its body attacked the people. He spit out wads of spit at the people making them lose consciousness. “Oh that’s nasty,” Mike commented. “Rangers, you know what to do,” Jayden told the others as he took out his Samuraizer. The others followed him and morphed into their respective colors while Tashiko ran the opposite direction and hid behind a tree to watch the battle. 

The Nighlok noticed the Rangers and chuckled. “Ah! Didn’t expect your rangers to be here so soon!”

“Cut the crap!” Jayden stated. “Stop on what you’re doing to these people!” Kevin shouted. “No can do Blue ranger!” the Nighlok stated as he fired a wad of spit at Kevin. The Blue Ranger dove to the side as Antonio said, “Enough talk Nighlok!” The Gold ranger shot forward towards the Nighlok. “Let’s go!” Jayden told the others, shooting after Antonio. 

Antonio grabbed his blade and shouted, “Barracuda Bla-” 

He was cut short as the Nighlok slammed a fist into the side of his head, sending him flying to the ground. Antonio rolled on the ground before sitting up, shaking his head. Jayden came next, slashing at the Nighlok who evaded his attacks. “Antonio!” Emily gasped, rushing towards the Gold Ranger’s side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he punches pretty hard,” Antonio nodded. “Watch out!” Ami yelled at them as the Nighlok rushed towards them, his first bigger than Emily. The two Rangers watched in horror as the Nighlok’s fist was about to hit them but Mia got in front of them blocking the punch. She skidded the floor as her blade blocked the Nighlok’s attack and feared her sword would break. 

Emily quickly converted her SpinSword for her shrunken and yelled, “Earth Slicer!” She threw her signature weapon at the Nighlok who dove to the side avoiding the Yellow Ranger’s attack. Mia collapsed to her knees, panting. 

The Nighlok’s attack was insane: it was so fast and so powerful. 

Mia tightened the grip of her sword and got to her feet. She converted her SpinSword into her fan and glanced at Emily. “Emily, we need to combine our attacks.”

“Sandstorm?” Emily inquired, her eyes wide. “Sandstorm,” Mia nodded. 

Kevin meanwhile was shooting at the Nighlok with his Hydro Bow. He quickly fired at the Nighlok, who was running in all fours and dodging all the arrows he threw at him. “Damn it! He’s quick!” Kevin stated. “Your attacks are so slow!” the Nighlok yelled, slashing at Kevin, knocking the bow off his hands. Kevin staggered from the impact of the Nighloks slash with his claws. He dove to grab his sword but the Nighlok pounced on him. 

The Nighlok was about to spit on the Blue Ranger when its side flared up in a burning sensation. Jayden had summoned his Fire Smasher and had slammed it into the Nighlok, sending it flying. The Nighlok skidded the ground in all fours before spitting at Jayden; it’s saliva hitting the Red Ranger’s suit. It caused the Red Ranger’s suit to spark and send the Red Ranger into the ground. “Wha? It didn’t work?” the Nighlok gasped in shock before narrowing his eyes. “I see. Your suit took on my special attack. Let’s see how long it will hold on!” He spit on the Red Ranger again and was prepared to spit at him once more when the Green Ranger appeared in front of Jayden. 

Mike summoned his Forest Spear and spun it on his hands. “Forest Vortex!” the Green ranger yelled, as a green tornado of leaves appeared and headed towards the Nighlok. The Nighlok was sent spinning around before getting thrown into the grass. “Ready Emily!” Mia told the Yellow Ranger as they rushed in front of Mike. “Ready!” Emily replied as she took out her Samuraizer. “Sandy Earth!” A wall of compact sand appeared in front of the Yellow Ranger as Mia jumped over Emily. “Sky Fan!” 

“Sandstorm!” Emily and Mia yelled at the same time. 

A gush of wind picked up, creating a sandstorm that headed towards the Nighlok. The Nighlok rubbed his eyes as the sand surrounded him, blinding him from the Rangers. “Just because I don’t see, means I won’t miss!” he sang as he looked around with closed eyes. 

“Does anyone know what this Nighlok’s attacks do?” Antonio asked, as he got into position. “No,” Kevin shook his head as he glanced at the citizens that laid on the ground.

Suddenly they all cried in pain and began to shake violently. The Rangers slowly backed into each other in a circle as the people that were hit with the Nighlok’s attack started to get up. The Rangers could hear the crunch and shift of their bones, how their skin began to grow fur and how they began to growl. “What’s happening to them?” Emily whispered, looking at them in horror. “Oh my,” Ami gasped, seeing how their eyes glowed yellow and sharp teeth appeared in their jaws. The citizens then dropped into all fours and began to approach the Rangers. Their eyes glistened and their jaws opened, saliva dripping down from their teeth. 

“They turned into Werewolves,” Mike noted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: This was the Halloween Episode when I wrote this FanFic.


	25. Werewolves Attack!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the end of Chapter 24. Part of the Halloween Episode I wrote.

Serrator and Kameyo appeared in the countryside and glanced around. In the distance, they could see a large farm were a couple were feeding the animals. “Is this the place?” Kameyo asked, glancing at Serrator who smirked. “Yes,” Serrator answered, walking towards the farm. “This is where the Yellow Ranger’s sister lives. Come. We have some work to do.” 

Emily’s mother threw some corn in the ground, calling the chickens to come eat. She stood up and stretched her back, hurting for leaning down for too long before feeling a strange presence behind her. She turned around to face Serrator who was glancing down at her. She gasped and quickly got into a fighting stance. 

“Nighlok! How dare you step into _my_ home!” she spat. “What do you want?!”

Serrator chuckled at the retired Yellow Ranger’s temper and simply stated, “Your daughter.” He raised a hand and fired a blast at her but the old Yellow Ranger dove to the side, evading the attack. She grabbed a hoe that was near her and used it to block Serrator’s attack. “It is a simple request, Ellen,” Serrator stated as the Yellow Ranger blocked his attack. “I really do not want to get my hands dirty.”

“You should have thought of that, before you stepped into my home, Nighlok!” Ellen growled. “Ellen, Ellen, you should know you should never mess with a Nighlok, especially since you’re powerless,” Serrator taunted. “You bastard!” the retired Yellow Ranger yelled, spinning around to slam the hoe into Serrator. Kameyo intervened, slicing the gardening tool in half with her short katana. “Enough,” Kameyo stated as she threw Ellen’s husband near the retired Yellow Ranger’s feet.

“Brad!” Ellen gasped, seeing her husband unconscious. “What did you do to him?!”

“What I’m going to do to you, if you don’t tell us where the Yellow Ranger is,” Kameyo warned. Ellen glanced at her husband before glancing at the Nighlok. “Over my dead bo-!” Ellen didn’t get to finish as Kameyo had grabbed her head and slowly took out the Yellow Ranger's energy away. 

The former Ranger collapsed beside her husband while Kameyo licked her lips. “Her energy had a very, delicious taste.”

“Come on,” Serrator replied as he walked inside the house. Kameyo followed him into the house and glanced around. 

Suddenly a sword flew towards them making Kameyo dodge but Serrator caught the blade between his fingers. Serrator chuckled and glanced up at the second floor where a blonde woman was leaning against the railing. “Ah, Serena,” he stated slyly as he flipped the sword to grab its handle. “Hello.” 

Serena leaned off the railing and stood in a fighting stance with another sword in her hands. Her body shook in effort as her body was too weak to stand up for too long. “What do you want, Nighlok?” Serena asked. “I want you,” Serrator replied, climbing the stairs but Serena jerked towards him. “Don’t get near me,” Serena wheezed, her eyes narrowed in anger.

“Why do you even try, Serena? You are too weakened to be fighting me, don’t you think?” Serrator commented in a soft voice. 

“Shut up!” Serena snarled, raising her sword. “I think she’s going to fight you,” Kameyo noted as Serena rushed down the stairs. “Don’t make me laugh,” Serrator replied as he dodged Serena’s attacks. “You think you can fight me in that condition.”

“Yes!” Serena shouted, trying to stab Serrator but he caught the blade with his bare hand. Serrator ripped the blade away from her and punched in the stomach. Serena gasped out, doubling over before Serrator slammed an elbow into her head, knocking her out. 

Kameyo picked Serena from the ground and glanced at Serrator. “What next?” Serrator raised his hands as a mist covered them both. “We go to our hideout,” he answered, as they both disappeared. 

* * *

The Rangers watched in horror as the people began to change into werewolves. Suddenly Jayden dropped to his knees, feeling a piercing pain overwhelm his body. He screamed, clutching his stomach and demorphed. “Jay!” Antonio yelled, seeing his best friend on the ground in pain. 

“Jayden!” Emily rushed towards him first, since she was closer and grabbed his shoulders. The Red Ranger was shaking uncontrollably and began to transform. “Emily! Get away from him!” Mike yelled, his green eyes wide in fear. Emily scooted back as the Red Ranger turned into a huge werewolf. He landed on all fours and snarled, turning towards Emily. Saliva dripped from his slightly opened jaw and snarled at the Yellow Ranger.

“Emily!” Mike yelled as he rushed towards her but Kevin grabbed him and pulled him back. Ami who was closest to Emily grabbed the Yellow Ranger before Jayden pounced to where she once stood. “Well, I guess the ranger suit didn’t protect him,” the Nighlok laughed. “Change them back!” Kevin yelled at the Nighlok who only laughed. “No can do! See you around, Rangers! Have fun!” the Nighlok saluted as he disappeared through a gap. 

  
Werewolf-Jayden roared at the Rangers, making the other people who turned into werewolves glance at him. “Shit! This isn’t good,” Ami stated as the Rangers huddled into a circle. The werewolves surrounded them, circling them. “Stop acting like this isn’t your fault!” Mike whispered at Ami angrily. “This isn’t my doing, Michael,” Ami snarled back. Mike glared at her before seeing behind the visor, into her brown eyes that she was... _terrified._

She didn’t have to do anything about this plan. 

Tashiko watched in horror as the werewolves surrounded the Rangers. She had to do something or else they would attack and injure the rangers. She couldn’t use her Symbol Power and she didn’t have a SpinSword. What could she do? 

She bit her lip and her eyes watered as Werewolf-Jayden circled the rangers. “Jayden, please,” Tashiko whispered. “Don’t hurt them!” Tashiko froze realizing what she could do. Jayden had a weak spot for her, he would do anything in his power to protect her. His mind would be clouded by the spell but she believed he could take over this new form. 

Tashiko felt terrified in what she was going to do but she had to be brave. She was training to be a Ranger. She could do this. 

Tashiko stepped out from behind the tree and yelled, “Jayden! Stop!” The Alpha Werewolf glanced at Tashiko, his shiny yellow eyes glinting in the sunlight. He bared his teeth at her making the Rangers bring up their guard.

“What the hell is she doing?” Ami stated, clenching her teeth. “She’s going to get killed!” Kevin replied, summoning his Hydro Bow. 

Werewolf-Jayden slowly approached Tashiko, growling at her, his jaw slightly parted, ready to sink his jaws into her. “Jayden, I believe you’re still in there, please. Don’t hurt them,” she told him. But the Werewolf snarled at her, shooting towards her. 

“Scatter!” Kevin yelled as the others fought against the werewolves. Tashiko turned around, not wanting to see her impediment death when Antonio caught her in time. They both rolled on the ground before Antonio demorphed, staying still. Tashiko touched her head before glancing at the Gold Ranger who groaned. “Antonio!” Tashiko gasped, crawling towards him. She could see he was clutching his side to find his fingers covered in blood. 

A long ugly, deep gash covered his side and his eyes were closed. “Oh no!” Tashiko gasped, covering her mouth. What had she done?! She had put the Gold Ranger in danger because of her. She quickly got to her feet and glanced around to see the Rangers fighting against the werewolves. She could see Werewolf-Jayden circling around, seeing the werewolves attack his friends. 

“Jayden, what have you done!” Tashiko yelled at the Red Ranger. The werewolf snapped around, glaring at her with his yellow eyes. “I thought you were better than this,” Tashiko stated, her eyes brimming with tears. “How dare you hurt your friends!”

“We have to do something!” Mia declared, blowing the werewolves away with her Sky Fan. “We can’t kill them!” Emily replied as she slashed at one of them. “We need a counter spell!” Kevin told the others as he avoided a werewolf snapping its jaws at him. “I wonder what that could be,” Ami sarcastically replied. “This isn’t the time for your sarcastic jokes Ami!” Mike growled, summoning his Forest Spear. “Wait, where’s Werewolf-Jayden?”

“I don’t know, I lost track which one it is!” Mia replied. 

“Over there!” Kevin pointed to see Werewolf-Jayden taking a step back from Tashiko. “Tashiko! And Antonio?!”

“What...Why is Antonio on the ground?” Emily asked panic entering her voice. “We need to help her!” Mike declared as he attached his disk into his Forest Spear. “Forest Spear! Forest Vortex!” A green tornado of leaves appeared hitting the werewolves and sending them flying towards the ground. “We need to hurry, now! Before his animal instincts take over!” Ami told them as she slashed at a werewolf. 

“Jayden, please stop,” Tashiko continued, taking a step back. “I know you’re better than this. Please, please, don’t do this.” For a moment, the werewolves eyes turned green and a whine came out of his mouth. But as quickly as it changed, its eyes went yellow and he snarled at her. His hackles raised and he stood on two legs and attacked her. Before she could do anything, the Werewolf snarled, swiping it’s claws at her face. He clawed her right side of her face, leaving three long gashes across her cheek: one from the tear duct of her right eye all the way towards the end of her cheek, the other starting from the bridge of her nose to her cheekbone and the last one from the edge of her mouth to the end of her chin. 

Tashiko screamed in agony as she felt the claws rake her face and felt her cheek grow hot and sticky. She staggered holding her face as blood streamed down between her fingers. Tashiko glanced at her hand, seeing it covered in blood and looked at Werewolf-Jayden in horror. 

The Werewolf growled at her before its eyes turned green once more. Seeing what he had done to her, he stepped back. 

The Rangers heard Tashiko’s scream and looked at her in horror at her bleeding face. “Tashiko!” Kevin gasped and rushed towards her. Mike followed suit while the girls tried to knock out the other werewolves. “Symbol Power! Vines!” Mike shouted as he slammed the symbol into the ground. Vines erupted from the ground making Werewolf-Jayden avoid the attack. Kevin aimed at Werewolf-Jayden with his Hydro Bow and fired at him. The werewolf cried as the blue arrows made contact with its body and collapsed into the ground. 

“Mike, check on them,” Kevin ordered. “I’ll try to keep this Werewolf off your tail.” Mike gave him a nod and rushed towards Tashiko and Antonio. He reached Antonio first who was bleeding heavily. “Tell me you’re okay,” Mike told him. “I’m okay, just hurting really badly,” Antonio responded. Mike then turned to Tashiko who was on the ground, kneeled down, holding her face. “Tashiko, are you okay?” he asked her. She slowly glanced at him, who was pale and felt like the right side of her face was frozen. “S-Sorry,” she whispered before she collapsed into the ground, losing consciousness. 

Mike quickly got to his feet and yelled at Kevin, “They both need medical attention! Now!” 

“They keep getting up no matter how much we hit them!” Emily pointed out as she slashed at the Werewolf. “Then we kill them!” Ami suggested, giving Emily a smirk. “No! Then we have to kill Jayden too!” Emily shot back at her. “We can’t kill them! They’re innocent people caught in the Nighlok’s spell!” Mia cried back. 

Suddenly the Werewolves stopped attacking, they froze to see their Alpha injured on the ground. Werewolf-Jayden got to his feet, feeling Kevin’s arrows on his back. “You...will….pay,” the Werewolf hissed, glaring at the Blue and Green Rangers. He shot forward and snapped at Mike, grabbing him by the leg and threw him to the side. Kevin shot him more arrows but the Werewolf avoided his shots, pinning him down to the ground. He was about to plunge its jaws to the Blue Rangers neck when Ami slashed at him with her SpinSword. 

The Werewolf roared in agony and spun around to face Ami. “Come at me!” Ami yelled as Werewolf-Jayden launched towards Ami who stepped aside. She was about to plunge her sword into Jayden when Emily blocked the attack. “In case you forgot, our leader is still in there,” Emily growled lowly. “We didn’t decide to kill him but to try and save him. I think Kevin made that clear.” Ami smirked and said, “Aw, baby Emily has finally decided to step up her game?”

Suddenly Werewolf-Jayden snarled and knocked both of the girls over. He pinned Emily down and snarled at her. “Emily!” Mike yelled, trying to get to his feet. “Jayden, don’t hurt us. We are your friends, your family,” Emily whispered. “Look around you, look at what you’ve done.” The Werewolf growled, it’s jaws getting closer to Emily. Tears streamed down her face as she looked into the Werewolves yellow eyes. It changed back to green when suddenly it howled in pain. He backed away, a sword embedded into his back as Ami grabbed Emily and ran for their lives. “What have you done?!” Emily yelled at her. “Saving your ass!” Ami shouted back. 

Werewolf-Jayden backed away before running for it’s life. “No!” Kevin called as he watched the Werewolf run away. “Do you think that was...Jayden?” Mia asked as the Werewolf disappeared from sight. “I-I don’t know,” Kevin whispered. 

“I don’t know.”

* * *

Serrator and Kameyo appeared in a cave where Hideo was waiting for them. Kameyo dropped the now conscious Yellow Ranger into the ground. “What do you want from me, Nighlok?” Serena asked, coughing. Serrator ignored her and glanced at Hideo. “You know what to do. Make some medicine for this...pest. I want her to live, so she can see her sister try to rescue her, only to see her fail.”

“Yes master,” Hideo bowed at Serrator, his crystal ball glowing. He waved it over Serena to find what antidote he needed to make. 

Serena glared at Serrator and snarled, “She won’t fail. She will kick your ass!” Serrator chuckled and stated, “She is the weakest of all the Rangers put together.” He gave Hideo a nod and said, “Take care of her, will you?”

“Of course,” Hideo smirked back. “She’ll be in good hands.”

“I hope so,” Serrator replied darkly before he and Kameyo disappeared through a gap.

Hideo changed into his human form and glanced at Serena who glared at him. “I’m sorry for the show.” Serena narrowed her eyes and scooted back. “Show? What are you talking about?”

“I will need a little favor, from you Serena,” Hideo told her as he began to mix some ingredients for his potion. “Why would I do that for you? Half-Nighlok?” Serena spat at him. “Because if you don’t,” Hideo began, his eyes letting off a deep eerie glow. “Your sister and her friends will die.” 

* * *

Tashiko’s eyes snapped open, finding herself inside of her inner mind. She quickly sat up and glanced around. “What the hell am I doing here?” she murmured before touching her face. She could feel the scars of the three gashes she received from Werewolf-Jayden and felt a deep sadness well in her chest. 

_Well, if it isn’t our guest_ , came an echoing voice. _Good job in scarring my face.._

“Who are you?” Tashiko asked, looking around trying to find the source of the voice. _I_

_would tell you the same thing, Tashiko…._ The voice continued. _Who are you?_

“I’m Tashiko,” Tashiko replied, getting to her feet. 

_Are you really Tashiko? Or are you, someone else?,_ the voice asked. 

“Tashiko is the name Cody and Aaron gave me, because...I don’t know who I am,” Tashiko answered. “I told you who am I. Tell me who are you?” 

The sound of chains dragging against the floor echoed around Tashiko’s head. Tashiko turned around to find an approaching figure with glowing red eyes walking towards her. “Who are you?” Tashiko asked, noticing that this person wasn’t Kaisoko-Hime. 

_Kaisoko-Hime, isn’t here,_ the figure told her. _Right now, she’s having a bit of fun in her new...cage._

Tashiko’s eyes went wide in horror and stated, “What have you done to Kaisoko-Hime?!” 

_What I should have done the moment I landed here_ , the voice growled. 

“Who are you?!” Tashiko shouted, getting into a defensive position. The figure stepped out into the light and Tashiko’s breath got stuck in her throat. 

_I am..you_ , the figure replied, a small cackle flowing out of her mouth and gradually got louder. 

* * *

Serena stood on her feet not believing what had just happened. She was on her feet, without wheezing or coughing her lungs out. Hideo’s medicine had cured her! “I don’t believe it,” Serena smiled, prancing around like a kid. She glanced at Hideo who was looking at his crystal ball in concern. “Is something wrong?” Serena asked, her smile disappearing. “Yeah,” Hideo replied, making the images of his crystal ball disappear. He got to his feet and walked towards the mouth of the cave. “It seems like we are going to change our plans.”

“What? Why?” Serena replied, following Hideo. “You’re going to help me, remember?” Hideo told her as he turned around to face her.

“Yes. I promised I would,” Serena replied as Hideo raised his staff. “Spiriti della foresta , sentire la mia chiamata ! Concedere questo Samurai Terra suoi poteri!” he yelled as a white glow surrounded Serena. 

After the light disappeared, Serena stood in front of Hideo with a White Samurai ranger suit. “Whoa!” Serena gasped, turning around in a circle as she observed her new suit. “This is amazing! Thank you!” Hideo gave her a nod, showing her a small smile before it disappeared. “Come, Serena. We have work to do.” He waved his staff as they both disappeared in a swirl of magic.   
  



	26. Betrayal

“How are you...me?” Tashiko asked, looking at the person standing in front of her.

The person in front of her was  **herself.**

She looked different. She was taller, with long black hair that reached down her waist. She wore a tattered purple kimono and chains were wrapped around her chest. Her arms and feet also had shackles that tied her to the ground. She tried to approach Tashiko, but the chains pulled her back. She scoffed and smiled at Tashiko. 

_ My, I can’t believe this world me, can be so…. _ naive, the other Tashiko answered.  _ Let me explain this in a more... _ simple _ way. I am your true personality. I am...Maria. _

Tashiko took a step back and shook her head. “No...You can’t be…. _ Maria. _ ” 

_ But I am _ , Maria answered with a smirk.  _ You’re not supposed to be here. You aren’t even supposed to exist. _ She pulled forward but the chains pulled her back.  _ Dammit _ , Maria growled, glaring at the chains before looking at Tashiko.  _ Come here Tashiko. Come towards me and I’ll show you every piece of your life you’re missing. _

Tashiko took a few more steps back, shaking her head. 

_ Merge with me, Tashiko and all your questions will be answered, _ Maria continued. 

“I don’t trust you,” Tashiko replied, frowning. “Why should we merge?” 

Maria scoffed, narrowing her eyes.  _ If we don’t merge together soon, we will place the Rangers in danger. Is that what you want, Tashiko? _

Tashiko shook her head. “What happens if we merge?”

Maria smirked.  _ We will become one being. We will share memories and my powers. We will become the most powerful Ranger in existence _ . 

Tashiko eyed Maria, curiosity brewing inside of her. Was this really her? Her true self? “But won’t that cause one of us to disappear?” Tashiko asked. 

Maria curled her lip upwards.  _ If we don’t do it, we’ll both disappear. We will be erased from existence. I cannot bare to watch the Rangers fall once more _ . Maria extended her hand towards Tashiko and said,  _ Take my hand, Tashiko-san. We will save the rangers together… _

Tashiko hesitated in taking Maria’s hands and whispered, “How do I know you’re telling the truth? You caged Kaisoko-hime!”

Maria laughed and stated,  _ You mean Lauren? She’s  _ perfectly _ fine. Jayden’s sister is just taking a little...nap _ . 

Tashiko’s eyes went wide, echoing, “Jayden’s sister? Wha-what are you talking about?”

_ Kaisoko-hime, is Jayden’s sister spirit trapped in our body _ , Maria answered, her eyes flashing.  _ She sacrificed her life force so we could live.  _

“What?” Tashiko gasped. So that’s why Kaisoko-hime existed in her mind! She wasn’t just her guardian, she was Jayden’s dead sister!

_ There’s so much you don’t know about Kaisoko-Hime, _ Maria chuckled lowly.  _ She isn’t what she says she is. Take my hand and you’ll know,  _ everything. 

Tashiko narrowed her eyes, extending her hand towards Maria when a wall of fire appeared between them. 

Maria clenched her jaw angrily, seeing Kaisoko-hime holding a flaming sword.  _ Speaking of the devil _ , Maria growled.

“Don’t you dare listen to her!” Kaisoko-hime yelled at Tashiko. Her face was scrunched in worry, fear and anger making Tashiko shrink back. 

_ Don’t listen to her _ , Maria scoffed, glaring at the fire princess.  _ She’s just afraid. _

“I’m not afraid!” Kaisoko-hime shouted at Maria. “It’s not your time!”

Maria’s jaw clenched tightly and began to glow a purple hue. Lightning crackled around her and she roared,  _ It’s never the time for you! Tell Hideo to break the damn seal! _

Tashiko opened her eyes wide and glanced at Kaisko-hime who looked nervous. “Seal? What seal is she talking about?” 

“It’s nothing to wo-” 

_ The seal that prohibits me from merging with you! _ Maria interrupted Kaisoko-hime.  _ He has me trapped in his crystal ball, along with all our memories. You must break Hideo’s crystal ball in order to free me! _

* * *

“We need to find Jayden as soon as possible,” Kevin told the rangers as Mia wrapped his wrist with a bandage. “He’s out there, injured and not thinking straight.” Mike winced as Emily dabbed his injuries with alcohol. “This is really bad,” Mike replied, his green eyes twinkling in worry. He bit his thumb nervously as he casted a glance at Emily who reflected his worried eyes back. 

“What we need to do is find the Nighlok,” Mia declared, putting the first aid kit away. “Yeah, well, good luck with that,” Ami replied as she placed a bandage on her forehead. “He’s probably hiding in the Netherworld and won’t come out willingly.” 

Tashiko suddenly gasped awake, making the rangers jump in alarm. “Tashiko!” Emily gasped, rushing towards the younger teen and hugged her. “Emily,” Tashiko breathed, disoriented and hugged her back. She touched her face, noticing that bandages covered part of her face. “How are you feeling?” Mia asked her, kneeling down in front of her.  _ Worse than ever _ , Tashiko thought but gave Mia a forced smile. “Better.” 

“That’s good,” Mia sighed in relief and got to her feet. “I think we need to form a plan, now,” Ami declared, making the Rangers glance at her. “We are two Rangers down and we still have Jayden on the loose. If he attacked us, his friends, his family, what else can he do running rampant?” The Rangers exchanged worried glances making Kevin rub his face. “She’s right,” Mia answered glancing at Kevin. 

Kevin took in a deep breath before letting it out. “Okay. We should go to the Common Room with Ji and figure something out.” The Rangers nodded and followed Kevin out of the infirmary before Ami stopped, glancing back at Tashiko. “You care a lot about Jayden, don’t you?” Ami stated quietly. Tashiko looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Yes.” Ami scoffed, a smirk appearing in her face. “Too bad. Driving that sword into his back, was thoroughly, satisfying!” 

Tashiko’s face fell and her eyes went wide in horror. “You did,  _ what _ ?”

“Too bad, he ran away before I could truly finish him off,” Ami taunted, crossing her arms across her chest. “What? How could you?” Tashiko stated, her eyes filling up with tears. Ami laughed and said, “You’re such a naive little girl! You truly are blind to what I can  _ really _ do.” Tashiko clenched her jaw and stated, “I won’t let you hurt any of my friends again!” Ami laughed and leaned against her, her eyes flashing. “You haven’t changed at all. Despite losing your memories and all the trauma you went through that world, you’re still yourself.” 

Tashiko narrowed her eyes, noticing that Ami had mentioned more than once, that they knew each other. “You know me,” Tashiko noted, glaring at Ami. “The other me, don’t you?”

“Of course I know you Maria,” Ami said, giving her a cheshire grin. “We are both from the future, after all.”

“I’m from the future?” Tashiko whispered. “No, Hideo told me my dreams were visions  _ from _ the future.”

“Wrong,” Ami singsonged. “Those dreams are not dreams, Tashiko-san. Those are memories, memories Maria had and lost so tragically.”

“You’re lying!” Tashiko shouted at her. Ami laughed, shaking her head. “Oh no. Ask him to tell you everything. He hides more than he shows.” Ami turned around and left the infirmary, leaving Tashiko alone.

* * *

Hideo and Serena appeared deep in the forest, making the Earth Samurai glance around. “Where are we?” Serena asked as Hideo glanced around. The Half-Nighlok paused before rushing towards a furry body that lay in the middle of the forest. Serena ran towards Hideo, stopping short of a furry animal with a sword embedded on his back. The Werewolf, let out a low whine as he glanced at them with sad green eyes. “What is that?” Serena asked, looking at Hideo. The Half-Nighlok placed a hand on the wolf’s muzzle and sighed. “This is a Nighlok’s work,” Hideo answered her. “It turned him into a Werewolf.”

“Who?” Serena asked.

“The Red Samurai Ranger turned into a Werewolf.” 

Serena’s eyes went wide in shock and she whispered, “This is Jayden?” Hideo gave a nod and said, “We need to take him back and tend to his injuries. We don’t know what that sword did to him.” Serena quickly nodded and said, “Then what are we waiting for?”

* * *

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Ji told the Gold Ranger who tried to leave the Shiba House. It was already nighttime and the full moon was high in the sky. “I can’t just sit here while my best friend is on the loose out there!” Antonio protested. “You’re injured and I can’t risk you getting more hurt!” Ji snapped back. “He’s my best friend, Mentor! I need to search with the others!” Antonio stated. “No,” Ji stated sternly. “Final word.” The older man turned around and left the Gold Ranger to pace around the Common room. The other Rangers hadn’t returned from their search and he was beginning to grow worried. His best friend was injured, scared and he could accidentally hurt or kill someone with the freakish power he was bestowed on. 

“You’re not the only one that wants to find Jayden,” Tashiko pointed out as she walked towards the Gold Ranger. Antonio turned around to find Tashiko with a worried look in her face. She instantly blushed when she noticed he was looking at her and glanced away. Antonio blushed as well and turned away. 

“Antonio,” Tashiko began, playing with her hair. “Thank you for saving me….again.” Antonio glanced at her, seeing she was looking at him with her beautiful hazel eyes. “Uh, yeah. It was nothing,” Antonio replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He grunted, feeling his injury flare up making Tashiko approach him in concern. “Are you okay?” Tashiko asked, touching his arm. 

Instantly Antonio felt an immense presence around him. He could feel his pain going away and he pulled his arm away from her touch.  _ What the hell was that? _ , he thought.

“Sorry,” Tashiko said, noticing how he pulled his arm away from her. “Wait, no, no it’s fine. That was rude of me,” Antonio replied, seeing her hurt face. 

There was a moment of silence before Tashiko scoffed sadly. 

“You know, I feel so weak not being able to help the Rangers,” Tashiko spoke, changing the subject. “I know how that feels,” Antonio slightly chuckled. “The others have Super Samurai and the Shogun Power up, and I have nothing.”

“But you’re a ranger,” Tashiko replied, glancing at him. “You basically have the power of the element of Light. I’m nothing.”

“You're something,” Antonio argued. “You brought joy back to this house. You’re always lifting everyone's spirits up and you’re special. At least to me you are.” Tashiko blushed a deep red and played with her raven hair. “Thanks Antonio,” Tashiko replied. “You’re special to me as well.” Antonio blushed, embarrassed before Tashiko’s eyes lighted up. “How about this? We can have like a sleep over!”

“What?’ Antonio asked, puzzled as Tashiko rushed around the Common room, grabbing a few pillows. “We can watch something, until the others come back,” Tashiko continued. “That way, we can take our minds off things!” She rushed down the hallway and opened up the closet room. She pulled up some blankets and ran back, giving one to Antonio. “Come on! Don’t you just want to forget about all the bad things that have been happening?” Antonio received the blanket he was offered and nodded. “Pick the movie!” Tashiko replied as she grabbed her blanket and wrapped herself in it. Antonio picked a movie and popped it on the DVD player before sitting beside Tashiko on the floor. Both of them huddled close, where their shoulders touched. 

Tashiko could smell Antonio’s cologne and could feel his strong muscles moving beside her. She blushed but inside she was happier than ever. She was sitting next to her crush and was even watching a movie with him!

Antonio felt his heart hammering in his chest as he could smell Tashiko’s strawberry shampoo and felt her small body against his arm. Involuntary, his arm went across her shoulders making her freeze in embarrassment. Tashiko smiled and leaned against Antonio’s body, feeling safe in his arms. Before they knew it, both fell asleep.

* * *

The Rangers were running as fast as they could with Mike leading them. The Green Ranger had picked up a trail from the trees and plants and was leading the Rangers through a thick forest. “Mike, are you sure about this?” Emily asked the Green Ranger. “We haven’t heard or seen any signs of Jayden.” 

A howl of werewolves were heard in the distance before Kevin signaled the Rangers to stop. “Wait,” Kevin called, indicating to everyone to remain silent. “I hear something.” The Rangers huddled together to find the Nighlok a few meters away, talking to Octoroo. 

“I’m telling you Octopus face!” the Nighlok yelled. “I got the Red Ranger but he ran away before I could kill him!”

“Then you better find him and kill him before I kill you!” Octoroo shouted back. He waddled away before pausing hearing a noise. He scanned the area before shouting, “Moogers attack!” Moogers appeared from a few gaps and headed towards the bushes, right where the Rangers were hiding. The Rangers morphed into their respective colors and fought against the Moogers. 

* * *

Serena was tied to the wall once more as Hideo petted the Werewolf who kept whining in pain. “Excellent work Hideo,” Serrator commented as he circled the captured Yellow Ranger and the Red Ranger. “You have the Yellow Ranger and the Red Ranger. We just need the final piece of the puzzle.” He glanced at Ami who was struggling to keep her form together. “It’s time for you, to bring the final piece, Uragiri.”

“My pleasure, master,” Ami replied with a slight chuckle. The clone dispersed into smoke before Serrator stated, “The time to have the Samurai of Time, is now.”

* * *

Ami wheezed and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Her clone took out some energy out of her. Octoroo and the Nighlok had escaped before the Rangers could reach them. “Maybe we should stop and get some rest,” Mia told the others, seeing Ami’s exhausted face. Kevin glanced at the Rangers, seeing everyone tired. “Fine. I’ll start a campfire.” He walked off, followed by Mia while he turned and told the others, “Stay together guys!”

“Yes, we’ll stay together,” Ami replied, her gaze growing dark. 

Emily backed towards Mike, suddenly feeling the shift of the air change dangerously. “Something's wrong,” Emily whispered to Mike, looking at him with fearful eyes. Ami turned to glance at them, her eyes glowing yellow. She gave them a sinister grin, making the Green and Yellow Rangers get into a defensive position. “Sorry guys. It’s been fun, but playtime's over,” Ami told them, changing into her Nighlok form. “What, what do you mean?” Mike asked her. “Seems the plan’s changed,” Ami replied, extending her claws. “I’ve got the information I needed and now it’s time to tear you Rangers down.”

“Emily, get ready,” Mike told her as he summoned his SpinSword.

“I am no longer hiding in the shadows, Rangers. The day of the second phase begins now!” 

Ami shot forward towards the two Rangers, laughing maniacally.

* * *

Kameyo sneaked around the Shiba House and glanced through the gates. She saw that the lights were out and knew the ones inside were sleeping. Kameyo glanced around, her glowing yellow eyes watching for any movement. Serrator had told her that their plan was moving forward and Ami would have to arrive to the Shiba House to get their other bait. “C’mon Ami, where the hell are you?” Kameyo murmured as she glanced around. 

Suddenly Hideo appeared in front of her scaring her out of her scales. “Hideo! What the hell?!” she whispered and shouted at him. Hideo narrowed his eyes at her and stated, “Ami needs your help Kameyo.” Kameyo straightened herself out and replied, “Where is she?”

“I’ll take her to you,” Hideo told her as he touched her shoulder. They disappeared in a swirl of magic and appeared at the campsite the Rangers had settled at. They found Ami in an intense fight with the Yellow and Green Rangers. “Do your thing,” Hideo told her as he turned around and disappeared from sight. 

Kameyo smiled at the fight and raised her hand, approaching the two Rangers.

* * *

Kevin and Mia returned to their camp, only to find Mike and Emily unconscious on the ground. “Mike! Em!” Mia gasped, dropping the sticks she had gathered for the campfire on the ground. Kevin also threw the sticks he had on the ground and rushed towards the younger Rangers. “What happened?” Mia asked, shaking them, but they were completely dead to the world. Kevin glanced around before seeing slash marks and foot marks on the ground. He also noticed their Samuraizers and their SpinSwords scattered on the ground. 

“It seems they were in a fight,” Kevin told her. “But who would do this?” Mia asked looking at the Blue Ranger. Kevin raked a hand through his hair before noticing someone was missing from their group. “I think I have an idea on who it could be. Who’s missing from the group?”

Mia looked at everyone over before stating, “Ami. Ami is the one missing.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes angrily.


	27. Kidnapped

_ He jumped in to block the attack that was meant for Jayden, catching the large broadsword with his Barracuda Blade. His blade broke in half due to the impact and the broadsword landed on his shoulder, slicing it open. “Ugnh!” Antonio grunted, falling to one knee.  _

_ “Antonio!” Jayden shouted behind him. Antonio glanced over his shoulder to find Jayden laid on his side, slowly bleeding out, his green eyes wide in horror. “Wha-What the hell? Why did you do that?!” Jayden cried out.  _

_ Xandred removed his broadsword from the Gold Ranger’s shoulder, aggravating his injury. “Sorry Jay,” Antonio murmured. “Seems like my instincts took over.”  _

_ Blood spilled on the floor before the Gold Ranger collapsed into the ground. “No! Antonio!” Jayden screamed, tears streaming down his face. “Red Ranger!” Master Xandred growled, advancing towards both injured soldiers. “It’s time for you to die!”  _

_ Jayden’s eyes went wide in fear when a Blue blur jumped in front of him, stopping the fatal blow. “Sorry Xandred,” Kevin declared. “But the Red Ranger isn’t going to die today.” He pushed Xandred’s sword off his and slashed at the Nighlok, driving him backwards. The Pink Ranger rushed towards Jayden’s side and asked, “Are you alright?” “Yes! But my friend!” Jayden cried, glancing at Antonio, who laid unmoving. “He’s hurt!”  _

_ “Don’t worry,” Mia told him. “We’ll take him back to the Shiba House.”  _

_ A Yellow and Green blur ran past them, joining the fight with the Blue Ranger. “You stay put Jayden,” the Pink Ranger ordered. “Your sister is on her way.”  _

_ “What?” Jayden gasped.  _

_ Suddenly there was a flash of light as two Rangers stood in front of the Red Ranger. “Lauren!” Jayden whispered, seeing his sister in front of him. She wore a red kimono with white flowers that stood against in the battlefield. Beside her was the Purple Ranger, a SpinSword over her shoulders and a smirk evident on her face.  _

_ “Mia, take my brother away from the battlefield,” Lauren ordered the Pink Ranger. “Sister, what are you doing here?” Jayden asked as Mia helped him to his feet. “I thought you were at the Tengen Gate.”  _

_ “Was,” Lauren answered. “But I heard Master Xandred came to the world of the living. I think it’s time I deal with him.” She morphed into the Red Ranger and glanced at Maria who was beside her. “You know what to do.”  _

_ “Right,” Maria nodded as Lauren rushed towards the others.  _

_ Kevin was thrown into the young Mike, causing the Blue Ranger to demorph and land on the ground unconscious. Mike tried to stand but his legs buckled and could only watch the Yellow Ranger fight Xandred.  _

_ “Serena!” the fifteen year old shouted. “Wait!” _

_ The Yellow Ranger was demorphed and was still fighting the Nighlok. “Serena stop! You’re unmorphed!” Mike shouted. Serena didn’t care and continued to slash at Master Xandred. “I need to save the world from this tyrant!” she shouted but was cut short when Xandred blocked her attack and slashed at her, all the way from her hip to her shoulder. Mike’s eyes went wide in horror.  _

_ “Serena!”  _

_ Blood gushed from the Yellow Rangers wound, staggering before collapsing into the ground. “Serena!” Mia screamed, running from Jayden and towards the Yellow Ranger.  _

_ The Pink Ranger skidded the floor, picking up the fallen Serena. “Protect my sister,” Serena breathed before dying in Mia’s arms. “Serena no!” Mia wailed, tears falling down her cheeks. She was unaware that Master Xandred was approaching her from behind, raising her sword above her. “Time to end your misery!” Xandred bellowed, slashing down towards her.  _

_ Maria appeared out of thin air, blocking the attack. She pushed him off before slashing at his abdomen, driving him back. “Run Mia!” she told the Pink Ranger who shook her head. “I can’t leave Serena!” Mia cried but Maria spun around. “Leave!” she barked. The Pink Ranger quickly got to her feet and took off, leaving Serena’s dead body on the ground. The Purple Samurai glared at Xandred and stated, “It’s time for you to vanish back to the Netherworld, Xandred.”  _

_ Xandred scoffed. “And how do you intend to do that?” _

_ He noticed a bright red light appear behind him making Xandred turn around to find Lauren tracing the Sealing Symbol. “No!” he roared as he turned around, slashing at Maria, causing her to spin mid air and land on the ground. Xandred rushed towards Lauren who was slowly tracing the Symbol. Maria quickly got to her feet and shouted, “NO!”  _

_ Lauren could see Xandred approaching her and raised his hand towards her, shooting a blast of energy at her. It exploded near her, sending her flying and making her loose her concentration of the Sealing Symbol. She landed on the ground and crawled towards her brother who was looking at her with terrified eyes.  _

_ Xandred approached them and drew his sword back to attack them. “Red Rangers! You’re going to die today and you can’t stop me!” Lauren got in front of Jayden, raising her hands to the sides, ready to die for her brother. “Die!” Lauren closed her eyes along with Jayden who wrapped his arms around his sister. “No!” Maria yelled, appearing in front of them, much to Lauren’s horror. “Maria! NO!” she shouted as she saw Xandred’s slash at her before stabbing her in the chest. The two Red Rangers could only watch in horror as the Purple Ranger, gasped, blood spurting from her mouth.  _

_ “Maria! Why? Why did you do it?!”  _

_ Maria grabbed the sword that was going through her chest and smiled, “Sorry, Lauren. My body just moved on my own. I was only thinking in saving you two.”  _

_ Maria could feel the immense pain emerging from the wound and dropped the sword she had in her hand. She could feel all her strength leaving her as Xandred removed the sword from her chest. She slowly collapsed into the ground, letting out her last breath. _

* * *

Tashiko gasped awake, breathing heavily. She glanced around, seeing it was starting to become dawn. She raked a hand through her hair and looked at Antonio who was asleep on her shoulder. Tashiko leaned back on Antonio’s head.  _ I hope the others are okay. _ She tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. 

Tashiko opened her eyes before seeing a shadow looming over them. She gasped and turned around, just in time to avoid a slash from a katana. Antonio had also dodged the attack, having been awake when he felt Tashiko jerk awake. He summoned his Barracuda Blade to face their attackers. He was in shock to find two Nighlok’s standing in front of them. 

“Well, aren’t you two heavy sleepers,” one of the Nighlok’s sneered. Tashiko instantly recognized her as Ami, making her clench her fists. “Ami!” Tashiko snarled, taking out her paintbrush. “Aw! Seems like little Tashiko has good sensing skills!” Uragiri teased with a grin. She pointed her sword at Tashiko but Antonio got in the way. Uragiri’s smile disappeared and stated, “I’m not here to fight you Gold Ranger. Get out of my way.” 

“I’m not letting you touch her,” Antonio told her, clenching his jaw. “So be it,” Uragiri replied as the other Nighlok shot forward to attack Antonio. 

Uragiri approached Tashiko making the latter trace a symbol and shoot it towards the approaching Nighlok. “Symbol Power! Lighting Bolt!” Tashiko shouted as a lightning bolt hit Ami, sending her flying back a few feet. Ami coughed, clutching her stomach and laughed. “Damn! I forgot how that lightning packed a punch!”

Tashiko felt her chest tighten and she fell to her knees, panting heavily. “Oh no! Did you forget that your Symbol Power was severed?” Uragiri sneered, circling Tashiko. “You can barely throw one symbol before you exhaust yourself!” Tashiko breathed heavily, glaring at Uragiri who only chuckled. “What made you show your true self?” 

“Seems like the plan’s moved,” Uragiri answered, putting the sword's edge underneath Tashiko’s chin. “I’m no longer needed as the Purple Ranger. Too bad. It was pretty fun.” 

“Now, it’s time for our second phase of our plan,” Uragiri told her, raising her sword when Kameyo was thrown into her. Both Nighlok’s fell to the ground as the Gold Ranger helped Tashiko to her feet. “C’mon! We need to go! Somehow they destroyed the Protection Symbol around the Shiba House,” Antonio told her. Tashiko nodded and they both ran only for Ami to get to her feet and yell, “Whirlwind!” 

A gush of violent winds blew around them, throwing them against the wall. They both groaned as Kameyo approached them and grabbed them both by the neck. Tashiko and Antonio stared at her in horror before feeling weakened. Tashiko was grabbing into Kameyo’s hand but the edges of her vision were growing dark. The last thing she heard was Antonio calling her name. 

* * *

Emily gasped awake, finding herself looking at Kevin and Mia. “You’re awake!” both Rangers exclaimed in relief. The Yellow Ranger quickly sat up and looked around. “What happened?” she asked. “That’s what we like to know,” Mia replied. “We found you and Mike unconscious on the floor.” 

“What happened? Who did this to you? Was it Ami?” Kevin inquired. Emily looked at them both and knew she couldn’t lie anymore. She knew that she and the others were in grave danger, now that Ami had revealed her true form. “Yes,” Emily nodded, feeling a few tears slip down her cheeks. “She did this. She attacked me and Mike. I’m scared.” 

“Damn it! We should have known this could’ve happened!” Kevin cursed, raking a hand through his hair. “I don’t think that’s the only thing we should worry about,” Mia stated as she noted that Antonio wasn’t answering her calls. “No one is answering back at the Shiba House.”

“Do you think something happened?” Emily asked worriedly. Mike suddenly gasped awake as well making the Rangers jump. “I think we should go check it out,” Mike told them, overhearing their conversation. 

“We should teleport,” Kevin suggested making the rangers glance at the Blue Ranger. “It takes out more of us, but I think this is an emergency.” The others nodded and took out their Samuraizer’s and teleported back home. 

* * *

Ji awoke from the ground and glanced around. He was receiving a call from Emily’s mother to report that her daughter had been taken away by Serrator before he lost consciousness. He quickly got to his feet, grabbing an ancient Morpher and rushed out to the Common Room to find it a mess. “What happened in here?” he gasped before there was a flash of light and the other four Rangers appeared in the house. The Rangers gasped in shock, seeing the mess before Kevin rushed towards him. “Mentor what happened in here?” 

“I don’t know,” Ji answered. “I was receiving an important call and I lost consciousness.”

“An important call?” Kevin inquired as the Rangers spread across the house. “Yeah,” Ji nodded before seeing Emily leave with Mike. “It seems like Serena was kidnapped by Serrator.” 

“What?” Kevin gasped before glancing around and looking at his mentor. “How did that happen?” 

“We’re not sure, but there’s a Nighlok who consumes energy,” Ji told him. “This Nighlok can touch the user and make them lose consciousness. I think it’s the same one that attacked the Shiba House.” 

“But that’s impossible,” Kevin shook his head. “The house is protected by symbols that repel any Nighlok out.” “It seems someone broke it,” Ji stated. “And that’s not good.” 

Mike glanced around the house before hearing a groaning sound. He saw Antonio trying to get out of the rubble and quickly rushed towards him. “Antonio!” Mike gasped, helping the Gold Ranger to his feet. “What happened?” 

“Ami attacked us,” Antonio replied, clutching his earlier injury. “They took Tashiko!”

“What?” Emily gasped, running towards the Gold Ranger. Mia shouted for Kevin as the Blue Ranger rushed towards Antonio. “What happened?” Kevin asked who was followed by Ji. “Ami and this other Nighlok attacked us,” Antonio answered. “They both took Tashiko! They took her!” He placed a hand on his face and cried, “They took her right under my nose!”

"It's okay. We'll find her," Mia replied, leading the Gold Ranger into the infirmary. 

Kevin glanced at the other two Rangers and Ji. “Why would they take Tashiko?” 

“I don’t know,” Mike murmured, feeling his chest tighten in worry. 

* * *

Tashiko felt water splash against her face making her gasp and cough. She blinked open her eyes before finding herself being hanged by her wrists. She pulled on the chain in panic, trying to wriggle out to be free. “Where am I?” she asked, glancing around, seeing that she was inside of a cave. “You’re finally awake,” came a voice making Tashiko’s eyes go wide in shock. “You!” she shouted, swinging her chain around, anger filling every fiber of her body. 

Hideo looked at her with an expressionless face and coolly replied, “Yes. It’s me. Hello Raikou-Hime.” Tashiko clenched her jaw, feeling tears forming in her eyes. “You? You did this?! How could you Hideo?! How could you betray me like this?! Why have you kidnapped me?!”

“Because, that was my mission,” Hideo replied coldly. 

Tears streamed down Tashiko’s face, feeling her heart break in two. The friend she had believed in, the one she had trust in with all her doubts and worries, was working for Serrator and Ami. “I trusted you!” Tashiko shouted. “I trusted you! How could you do this to me!” She sobbed, feeling defeated that she had been foolish in believing a Nighlok’s words. She clenched her teeth and angrily glared at Hideo. “Cody was right! You pests shouldn’t be trusted!” she spat making Hideo flinch back in hurt. “You and Ami almost killed my friends and now you have me kidnapped as well. Why do you have me here?” 

Hideo took a step back and glanced at the ground ashamedly. He couldn’t tell her that he was trying to protect her. It would blow his cover. The only thing he could do was leave so he couldn’t hear her and make his heart break more than it already was broken. Hideo turned away as Tashiko continued to shout at him. “Coward! Let me go!” 

Serena, who was tied to the ground got to her feet and stated, “You shouldn’t talk to him like that!” Tashiko then noticed someone else was in the room and was also tied. “Why are you saying that? He also has you tied up!” Tashiko cried out, confused to why this woman was defending Hideo. “That is enough!” Hideo snarled at them. He approached Tashiko and pointed at her with his staff. “Shut your mouth, before I do somethin-” He didn’t get to finish as Tashiko grabbed her chains and raised her knees, kicking Hideo with all her might. The Nighlok skidded the floor, clutching his chest and glanced at Tashiko in shock. 

There was a slow clap making everyone glance at Serrator who walked in. “Amazing!” Serrator told the younger teen. “Even tied up, you still have that fighting spirit! I’m impressed.” Tashiko glared at the white haired Nighlok. It was her first time in seeing the twisted Nighlok up close and she found herself trembling.  _ Why am I shaking? _ , she thought, feeling her body tremble.  _ His power...I can feel it. It’s...immense. _ Serrator noticed her shaking and smirked. “Look how this girl shakes. Are you afraid, Tashiko?”  _ He knows my name? _ , she thought alarmed. “I guess that’s a yes,” Serrator replied before slamming a punch into her stomach. Tashiko gasped doubling over but couldn’t do much with her hands tied. 

“Why are you doing this?” Tashiko wheezed making Serrator laughed. “It’s quite simple. You are the weakest and easiest to catch. You’re just a little girl wanting to become a wannabe Ranger.” Serrator turned around to leave but Tashiko called him back. “I’m not a wannabe Ranger. I’m a Ranger in training. Soon, I would be powerful enough to beat you!” 

Serrator chuckled and stated, “You make me laugh. You can’t beat me, that you can believe.”

“I believe I can beat you!” Tashiko replied with determination. “Rangers never give up! We have to protect the world from you Nighloks!”

“You rangers can try, but you’ll never beat us,” Serrator replied as he passed by Dayu who was leaning against the wall. “I want Ami, Kameyo and you to break them. When the rangers come here, I want them to see those two broken and one step towards death, understood?” Dayu gave a nod and stated, “After this little job, I want my harmonium back.” 

“Deal,” Serrator replied as he disappeared through a gap. 

Ami appeared through a gap and walked towards the two chained women. Tashiko’s blood boiled, seeing her walking towards her with a sheer contempt. “You!” Tashiko snarled, pulling on her chains. “I knew you were behind this!” 

“Poor little Tashiko, all tied up!” Tashiko’s eyes flared up in anger and snarled, “You’ll pay for everything you’ve done! For hurting my friends! For kidnapping Emily! For trying to kill Jayden!” 

“You kidnapped my sister?!” Serena interrupted, glaring at Ami. Tashiko froze and glanced at her in surprise. “Your...sister?” 

The blonde haired woman nodded and stated, “Yes. My name is Serena, Emily’s sister and the rightful owner to the Yellow Rangers Samuraizer.” 

Tashiko couldn’t believe her eyes. The person that was captured beside her was Emily’s sister! “It’s intriguing isn’t it?” Dayu stated as she circled around the two captives. “Serena, meeting the special girl.” 

“Special?” Serena echoed, glancing at Tashiko with a raised eyebrow. Dayu chuckled lowly, grabbing Tashiko by the chin. “Of course, Yellow Ranger. A little bird told me, she could see the future.” 

Tashiko pulled away disgusted by the Nighlok touching her before glaring at Hideo who looked away. “Well, let’s get the party started, no?” Ami declared, summoning a whip. “Wait,” boomed a voice, making the two Nighloks glance at a seven foot Nighlok walk in. Half of his face was metal while the other half was half-cat. He dragged a person behind him before Tashiko’s eyes went wide. Catyasu, threw the half-transformed Jayden into the floor and stated, “You were forgetting about the Red Ranger.”

“Jayden!” Tashiko cried, pulling on her chains. Catyasu, grabbed Jayden by the hair making him grunt in pain. “Wakey, wakey, Red Ranger,” Catyasu yelled making Jayden open his green eyes. Tashiko could see the defeat in the Red Rangers eyes and how weakened he was. “Watch as we torture your friends in front of you!” He dragged him back towards the wall as the Nighlok grabbed some chains and tied the Red Ranger against the wall. The Red Ranger weakly glanced up, seeing a blonde girl and Tashiko looking at him in worry. “Serena?” Jayden murmured. “Jayden!” Serena gasped in shock. “Oh look! Everyone knows each other then!” Ami mocked, glancing at the three captives. “How adorable! Now you can watch each other die!” 

Jayden’s eyes went wide and glanced at Ami. “Leave them alone! The one you want is me!” “Oh! The valiant Red Ranger trying to save his friends,” Dayu sneered, glancing at Jayden. “Please stop this! Take me and let them go!” Jayden pleaded.

Ami scoffed and gave him a sick smile. “You offer is tempting Jayden, but you don’t give order’s around here.” She extended her nails and glanced at Tashiko who glared at her with her hazel eyes. “Besides, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while.” 

Tashiko felt Ami’s nail touch her chest and slowly drag it towards her heart. “I’ve been waiting to torture her,” Ami declared as Tashiko winced, feeling a cut forming from Ami’s nail. The Half-Nighlok passed her nail near her scar that she had near her heart. “What’s this?” Ami asked, ripping part of Tashiko’s shirt to reveal the scar above her left breast. “When did you get that?” Tashiko scoffed and glared at Ami. “I guess you forgot the part, that I don’t remember anything.” Ami clicked her tongue before slicing her nail near Tashiko’s stomach scar. She traced it slowly making Tashiko wince but her glare never left the other woman’s face.

“How I’m going to have fun, torturing you.” 


	28. Rescued

“I believe I know why they could have taken Tashiko,” Kevin told the others as they sat in the Common room. “What is it?” Emily asked, worried. Kevin looked at Antonio who sighed and stood up. He walked in front of the Rangers and raised his shirt, showing them that the injury he had yesterday, had simply vanished. “What?” the other three Rangers exclaimed in shock. “We believe Tashiko has this healing ability,” Antonio told them and glanced at Kevin. 

“Back during the Nighlok’s attack on the Guardian’s, I had a pain in my chest that had simply vanished once Tashiko touched me,” Kevin explained. “I also felt that,” Emily replied, remembering how Tashiko had touched her and her pain was gone. “Yeah, so did I,” Mike nodded. “She was holding my hand when I woke from the beating Serrator had given me.” 

“But why would the Nighlok’s want her healing abilities?” Mia asked. “Nighlok’s use the Sanzu River to heal and hydrate, why would she be any use for them?”

“Maybe, there’s something more to her power,” Kevin suggested. “We just don’t know what.” Antonio’s eyes widened, remembering what Jayden had told him.  _ She’s the Purple Samurai Ranger! _ What if what Jayden had told him was true? What if Tashiko was in indeed the Purple Samurai Ranger?

* * *

“Don’t touch me!” Tashiko snarled at Ami, her body suddenly glowing purple. Thunder echoed outside when suddenly a lightning bolt shot out from the sky and hit Ami. The Nighlok skidded the floor from the impact and clutched her chest, glaring at Tashiko. Tashiko’s mouth was opened in a silent yell before her head fell forward. “What, what the hell? You...you can’t do that! I-I severed your Symbol Power!” Ami yelled. 

Tashiko didn’t move before her lips turned into a sinister smile and slowly glanced up. “ _ You disabled her’s but not mine _ .”

“You,” Ami whispered, clenching her fists. She shot forward, punching Tashiko across the face. Tashiko spat out a wad of blood and chuckled darkly. She glanced back at Ami, her eyes growing dull and her gaze growing dark. The air suddenly thickened making the Nighloks take a step back. “What is she?” Dayu growled, glaring at the teen. 

“A menace,” Ami replied as she sucker punched Tashiko in the face. 

Tashiko chuckled and looked at Ami. “ _ You hit pretty hard _ .  _ But it will take more of that than to kill me. _ ” 

Ami punched her again, with more force earning another chuckle from Tashiko. “ _ Keep going Ami. When I’m set free, I’m going to rip you apart." _

Ami let out a frustrated scream, punching her more quickly. “Really?” Ami shouted. “I would like to see you try!” She tried to punch but Tashiko swung to the side, avoiding the attack and kicked Ami away. 

Ami skidded the floor, making Tashiko smirk. “ _ You missed _ .” 

Ami glared at her and snarled, “I won’t miss this time!” 

“ _ Is that a challenge, Uragiri? Wasn’t bathing in the Sanzu River, enough for you? _ ” Tashiko laughed. 

Ami’s eyes widened angrily and screamed, “Y-You bitch!” She went to punch Tashiko again, but the latter swung to the side, evading her attack. “Stay still!” Ami shouted. 

“ _ You think the same trick will work on me twice? _ ” Tashiko taunted Ami. “ _ Let me go and we’ll fight like real warriors! _ ”

Ami clenched her fists and summoned a whip. She whipped the chain that hung Tashiko and pulled it, ripping it from the ceiling and dropping Tashiko into the ground. 

Tashiko slowly sat up, a grin spreading across her face. 

“Ami, what the hell do you think you’re going?” Dayu stated, grabbing Ami from her shoulder and spun her around. 

“ _ I can tell you, Ami can’t resist a good challenge _ ,” Tashiko answered, getting to her feet. 

Ami pushed Dayu away and stated, “Don’t touch me. Let me deal with her!” 

“At this rate, she’ll escape!” Dayu yelled at her. 

Tashiko approached the two Nighlok’s and began to trace a symbol with her finger. “ _ Symbol Power: Lighti-” _ She was cut short when vines appeared and tied her down. Tashiko snarled like a wild animal and glared at Hideo who had his hands up. 

“Enough of this,” Hideo declared. “We need to stop messing around and get the information out of them, now.” He turned to Kameyo who was beside him and said, “I want you to take her energy away and weaken her power.” 

“Sir, yes, sir,” Kameyo replied, saluting sloppily. “Ami, you get out of here, right now,” Hideo stated. “Serrator told me,” Ami argued. “Leave,” Hideo growled, through his teeth. “I will report your behavior to Serrator.” 

Ami began to breathe heavier out of her anger before she spun around and left the cave. 

* * *

Antonio paced back and forth in the Common Room. Two days had passed since Serena, Jayden and Tashiko's capture and the Rangers had no luck in finding them. He was beginning to grow extremely frustrated that they were going nowhere. 

_ We need to find another way, _ Antonio thought as he continued to pace. He saw from the edge of his vision, Mike’s folding Zord moving around the table, also trying to help in the search. He snapped his fingers and rushed towards the others. “Guys,” he told them, making them glance at him. “I have an idea.” 

* * *

Serena winced as she heard the crunch of bones when Catyasu stomped into Jayden’s hand. It was followed by the Red Rangers scream as Catyasu leaned towards him. “Tell me, Red Ranger, what’s the Sealing Symbol?”

Jayden trembled out of the agony of his broken hand but remained silent. Catyasu removed his foot from his hand and stated, “Well, I guess, I’ll have to break your other hand.” 

It had been two days since they’ve been captured and tortured to no end. Serena could feel the chains digging into her wrists and her arms ached from hanging in the same place for too long. Her body had burns, whip lashes and her clothes were torn and bloody. She had the metallic taste of blood in her mouth and could feel her lip had been busted. Dayu had done a number on her but Serena hadn’t loosened her tongue. She would remain loyal to the Rangers, even if it meant her last breath.  _ No, don’t like that. I must survive _ , she thought, narrowing her eyes.  _ For the rangers and for the sake of my sister _ . 

Serena heard footsteps and glanced up to find Ami walking towards Tashiko. The younger teen was the one that looked the worst out of everyone in the cave. Blood was dripping from her mouth and her clothes were almost shredded. Her back had painful whiplashes and she hadn’t said anything for a while.

Serena was worried she was dead.

Ami walked towards Tashiko and looked her over, making Tashiko slowly open her eyes to look at her. “I don’t believe it,” Ami whispered, shaking her head in amazement. “You’re still alive.” 

“ _ I will stay alive, until I see you get shredded, _ ” Tashiko answered quietly. 

Ami clenched her jaw and slammed a kick into Tashiko’s face making her fall to the side. Tashiko coughed up blood panting feverishly. 

“You won’t stay alive with those injuries,” Ami grunted, giving her a smirk. “You’re going to die.”

Tashiko laughed painfully and stated, “ _ Tell me, are you afraid I’ll rise again? That this time, I’ll destroy you?” _

Ami froze before relaxing. “No. I’m not afraid. I just love how satisfying it is to watch you die.” 

Tashiko looked at her and whispered, “Why did you do this to us?” 

Ami realized that this was the other Tashiko talking. “Because I hate you, Tashiko. I hate you, Maria, and everyone else. You all took the chance of me getting rescued by Kevin! You took that away from me!” 

“You, and I know, that the truth was that you fell to your death!” Tashiko replied. “You wanted him to save you but it was too late!” Ami felt tears streaming down her eyes and she screamed, slamming her foot into Tashiko’s side. Tashiko screamed in agony and laid on her side, her eyes wide in pain. “Stop!” Serena screamed at Ami. “Leave her alone!” 

Hideo appeared in a swirl of magic and swung his scepter at her, knocking Ami to the ground. She skidded the floor before quickly getting to her feet. “That is enough! You’ll kill her!” Hideo yelled, glaring at Ami. “So what?” Ami yelled back. “That’s all I wanted! I want to end her life!” Hideo kneeled down and waved his scepter around Tashiko. Her wounds were critical and her glassy hazel eyes indicated she was in deep pain. “You broke her rib and she probably punctured her lung,” Hideo told Ami as he saw blood streaming from Tashiko’s nose. “

Hideo, please,” Tashiko begged quietly. “Break the seal. Let myself free.”

Hideo looked at her wide eyed but shook his head. He couldn’t let Maria free, not yet, but he couldn’t let Tashiko die either. “Let’s get you healed and then we’ll talk,” Hideo told her, caressing her hair. 

“Get away from her!” Ami snarled, pulling Hideo away from Tashiko, throwing him into the ground. Hideo grabbed his scepter and tried to get to his feet but Ami planted her foot on his chest, keeping him on the ground. “I know what you’re planning, but it isn’t going to work,” Ami growled, extending her claws. “I will kill you before you get that chance.” Hideo smirked at her and said, “We’ll see about that.” Ami clenched her jaw and raised her claws, ready to kill Hideo when a yellow shrunken flew past the Half-Nighlok and hit Ami. The Nighlok gasped, staggering back from the impact and glanced up to find the five Samurai Rangers facing her. “What?!” Ami snarled. “How….Impossible! How could you have found us?!” 

Kevin stepped forward, tossing his folding Zord in his hand. “Pretty easy if you think about it,” he declared. “Our Zords were being drawn here, especially the Ape folding Zord,” Emily replied, stepping forward as the ApeZord flew off her shoulder and towards Serena. 

Ami scoffed and growled, “Of course.”

“We know who you really are, Ami,” Mia told her. Ami turned to glare at Mike and Emily who glared back. “Emily and Mike told us about what you did to our Yellow Ranger,” Antonio stated, taking out his Barracuda Blade. “You traitor.” 

“We uncovered your dirty secrets Ami,” Mike added, getting into a fighting stance. 

“And know we want our friends back,” Emily declared. Ami looked at Emily and raised her hand but Emily just scoffed. “Don’t bother. Your seal has been neutralized.”    
  
Ami took a step back seeing the Rangers slowly advancing towards her. 

“You’re surrounded,” Kevin stated. “There’s nowhere to run.” Ami smirked and laughed, “Oh _contraire, monsieur._ I’m not alone in this. Catyasu! Kameyo! We got company!” The two Nighlok suddenly appeared from a gap making the Rangers grab their weapons. “You!” Mike and Emily gasped, seeing Kameyo lick her finger. “Hello, Green, Yellow. Are you here for another, sucking?” 

Catyasu turned to the Pink, Gold and Blue Rangers who took a step back at the gigantic Nighlok. “Well, you rangers are so puny!” he declared, summoning his metal flail. 

Serena dropped to the ground after Hideo let her free from her shackles. He helped her to her feet and said, “You and your friends need to get out of here. It’s about to get much worse.” Serena looked at Hideo gratefully and asked, “What about you? Ami has seen you helping Tashiko.”

“Do not worry about me,” Hideo told her. “I’ll deal with her.” Serena looked at him sadly before giving him a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered before rushing to help Jayden out of his shackles. Hideo looked at the Nighlok’s fighting and sighed, clutching his scepter tightly. He was about to do something he was going to deeply regret. 

“Vines!” he yelled as vines appeared from the ground, tying Catyasu and Kameyo. The two Nighlok glared at Hideo making Kameyo yell, “Hideo! What the hell are you doing?!” 

Ami turned around to glare at Hideo and summoned her whip. She whipped at him, grabbing his legs and pulled his feet away from him. Hideo grunted as he slammed the ground but the Rangers hit Ami with their weapons, making her fly towards the wall. She slammed into it painfully and fell to her knees, chuckling darkly. The Rangers rushed towards her and pointed their weapons at her. “It’s over, Ami,” Emily stated, knowing that finally, she was free from this monster. 

Ami chuckled lowly before gradually getting louder. “You...You...really think it will be that easy?” Ami glared at them making the rangers flinch back from her sinister glare. “I’m like a shadow, Rangers. I’ll follow you, I’ll strike you before you know it. You’ll never see me coming!” She disappeared before the Rangers could react, followed by Kameyo and Catyasu. 

Serena walked towards the Rangers with an injured Jayden leaning against her shoulder. “Serena!” Emily cried, hugging her sister tightly. “Hey squirt,” Serena answered, hugging her sister back. “Jayden!” Kevin sighed in relief, giving him a one arm hug. “Glad to have you back.” 

“Welcome back,” Mike told the Red Ranger as Antonio glanced at Tashiko who was being freed by Hideo. “Get away from her!” Antonio snarled at the Nighlok. 

All the Rangers turned around to face Hideo who took a step back. “Wait! Don’t hurt him!” Serena told the Rangers, making them look at her. “He’s a Nighlok!” Mia stated, pointing at Hideo.

“Yes, a Nighlok that fed us, and cured us to endure this nightmare,” Jayden added, grunting in pain. 

The other Rangers exchanged confused glances to why the oldest Rangers was defending a Nighlok. “Please, I don’t mean any harm,” Hideo told them, grabbing his scepter tightly. “It’s okay, Hideo,” Serena told him, walking towards him. “No stay back!” Hideo replied, putting his hand outwards. “I’m sorry you three had to endure this. I’ll love to chat, but…” He trailed off, seeing Tashiko laid on the ground and looked at his crystal ball. “I have something to do.” He disappeared in a swirl of magic, making the Rangers exchange glances. 

Antonio rushed towards Tashiko’s side and gently picked her up. She was unconscious and she looked in bad condition. “C’mon, we need to head back. She needs medical attention.” He carried Tashiko bridal style as the other Rangers nodded in agreement. “So does Jayden and Serena,” Emily nodded as she took out her Samuraizer. As she traced the symbol to teleport home she made a vow,  _ Ami. You’ll pay for every drop of blood spilled today. _

* * *

“They beat us to try to get answers,” Serena told the others as Emily bandaged her. “But, we never once opened our mouth. Poor Tashiko got the worse of it.” 

“But why would they beat Tashiko?” Kevin asked, rubbing his chin. “They kept saying that she had a special power,” Jayden answered as he winced when Mia rubbed alcohol in his wounds.

“Special Power?” Emily echoed, glancing at the other rangers. “They thought Tashiko had the power to see the future,” Serena told them.

“She lost her memory, why would they think that?” Emily asked her sister. 

Jayden bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Well,” he began making everyone glance at him. “Tashiko has told me before that she has been having dreams about us in the future. She keeps, seeing our deaths.”

The Rangers opened their eyes wide and Mike asked, “What is that supposed to mean? We are going to fail?”

“No,” Jayden quickly responded. “We cannot fail. If she can see the future, we have the power to change it.” 

“Jayden’s right, we can’t just give up and let the future she was seeing unfold,” Serena replied. 

“We’ll fight for a new future,” Emily added, glancing at Serena. 

“Then I guess that means, no more secrets,” Serena stated, glancing at Jayden who held her glare. 

“For a better future,” Mike told them, extending his hand in the middle. The others smiled and placed their hand on top of Mike’s. “Rangers together!” Kevin yelled. “Samurai Forever!” the others yelled, throwing their hands in the air. 

* * *

Antonio sat near Tashiko’s bed and gently grabbed her hand. “C’mon Tashiko, please wake up soon,” he whispered. He watched her chest rise and fall slowly, the machine attached to her mouth giving her air so she could breathe. She was gravely injured and she was barely alive from the beating she received from Ami. 

“Please, Tashiko. I miss you and I have to tell you something...I’ve been keeping inside of me.” The Gold Ranger gently touched her head and slowly caressed her head. He awaited for a reaction but there was none. Antonio felt a wave of sadness hit him and he felt the tears forming in his eyes. He wanted to tell her how much he cared for, that he liked her, maybe even…. _ loved _ her. 

He didn’t care how long he had to stay here by her side, but he wanted to be there when she woke up. 


	29. Emergency at Moanalua

“Tashiko is going to be okay,” Jayden assured his best friend. It had been two weeks since the Red Ranger, Serena and Tashiko had been kidnapped. Everyone was recuperating well, except Tashiko. She had to be medically induced into a coma in order for her to recuperate. Antonio hadn’t left her side ever since she got back and refused to leave.

Antonio glanced at Jayden and gave him a short nod before glancing back at Tashiko. Jayden sighed and patted the Gold Ranger's shoulder before heading towards the hallway, where Serena was waiting for him.

“Alright Jay, what did you want to talk to me about?” Serena asked him as they walked into the Common Room. “I wanted to ask you, if you were going to take the mantle of being the Yellow Ranger,” Jayden asked her. “Now that you’re cured from your illness, I figured you would want to be the Yellow Ranger.” They both stopped and glanced at each other before Serena sighed, raking a hand through her blonde hair. “Look Jay, I was thinking about it,” she began. “But, you all grew accustomed to Em. She’s part of your family and it would be extremely rude of me if I took her away from you all. Besides, she seems so happy here. She seems more open, less shy and just, being what she was supposed to be: the Yellow Samurai Ranger. It would be wrong if I took that away from her in a flash.” Serena sighed and said, “If you don’t mind. I would like to stick around. I want to become a Ranger, but in other terms. I want to be fighting beside you all. The others have told me how Antonio created his own Morpher. Do you think he can create one for me?”

Jayden glanced back down towards the infirmary and sighed. “I guess so. It will be hard for him to work on it, since he hasn’t left Tashiko’s side ever since she got back.” Serena sighed as well and said, “Well, maybe this will distract him. Keep his mind off things.” 

“Yeah,” Jayden nodded as Serena went back to talk to Antonio.

“Good luck.”

* * *

Octoroo glanced at Hideo who made the images of his crystal ball disappear. “Ooh, ahh, ooh, seems that Serrator has been caught,” Octoroo told Hideo who walked towards the ship’s deck. “I’m only telling you Octoroo, because I want to see Serrator destroyed,” Hideo replied, his hand clenching around his scepter. “Why the change of leaders, Hideo?” Octoroo asked, looking at Hideo suspiciously. “I thought you were loyal to Serrator.” Hideo scoffed, a smirk appearing on his face. “I was only loyal to pry out information from the white haired bastard.” 

“That’s what all traitor’s say,” Octoroo pointed out. Hideo chuckled quietly, knowing it was going to be a lot harder to convince the noodle faced Nighlok. 

“Did I tell you, Octoroo, that where I come from, Master Xandred won the war?” Hideo replied. The Nighlok narrowed his eyes at Hideo as the latter glanced out to the Sanzu River. “Let me tell you a story, Octoroo,” Hideo began. “About something that seemed to be impossible, become possible. I come from a distance future, where the Rangers are all but defeated. They whimper at the thought of a Nighlok attacking them in their sleep. They shiver at the thought of Xandred appearing once more in the world. They scream when Xandred’s sword cuts them like a machete cutting down jungle plants.” 

Octoroo looked at Hideo and walked towards him. “What are you playing at?” he asked, with narrowed eyes. Hideo glanced at Octoroo and stated, “I will guide you to end the Rangers and make Xandred rise to glory.” 

* * *

The Rangers were sitting down and eating breakfast. It was mostly quiet in around the table, only with the constant giggling of Mike, Serena and Emily. Antonio was eating his breakfast quietly and quickly, wanting to go back to Tashiko’s side. He finished and excused himself, walking back towards the infirmary. 

“You know, being at her side 24/7 isn’t healthy for him,” Serena pointed out, breaking the silence. “Yes, but what can we do?” Emily sighed, looking at her sister. “He doesn’t want to talk to any of us. He’s just bottling up all these feelings.” 

“Well, maybe you can talk to him?” Mike asked Jayden who glanced at the Rangers. “I can try,” Jayden shrugged. “But I’m not very good at talking to people about their feelings.”

“You have to try,” Emily pleaded. “You're his best friend.” 

Suddenly the Gap sensor went off making the Rangers groan. “Great timing,” Mike sighed as he got to his feet and rushed towards the Common Room. Ji was waiting for them with a worried look on his face. “What is it?” Jayden asked beginning to worry as well. “Well,” Ji began. “For starters, we don’t know if this is a Nighlok attack. The Gap Sensor picked up some paranormal activity on the island Moanalua. I tried to contact the island, but seems like communications have been cut.” The Rangers exchanged glances before Jayden gave a nod to Ji. “Then we are investigating,” Jayden stated, looking at the others who nodded. “Alright, but please, be careful,” Ji told them as they left. 

Serena saw that one of their members was missing and sighed. “Antonio.” She ran towards the infirmary to find the Gold Ranger holding Tashiko’s hand and felt sympathy for Antonio. She neared him and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing to glance up to look at her. “Antonio. The others need you,” Serena told him. “The Gap Sensor caught something strange in the island of Moanalua.” 

“But,” Antonio began, glancing back at Tashiko, who didn’t move. “She won’t wake up any time soon,” Serena replied, looking at Antonio. “Besides, she wouldn’t want you here while the others risked their lives. Go, I’ll stay with her.” Antonio sighed and gave Serena a nod, quickly giving Tashiko a kiss on her forehead before rushing out of the infirmary.

Serena watched him leave before turning to look at Tashiko. She took her hand and sat on the chair Antonio had been sitting. “C’mon sweetheart, wake up. Antonio and the others need you.” 

* * *

The Ranger's arrived in the island of Moanalua, finding no one in sight. “This looks like a horror movie,” Mike stated earning a slap on the back from Emily. “Where’s everyone?” Mia asked, looking around, seeing the empty bay. “Well, we are here to find that out,” Jayden replied, turning around to look at the Rangers. “It will be better if we split up and searched the island in two man teams.” 

“Alright!” Mike stated, putting his hands together and glanced at Emily. “Teams that don’t involve, romantic mutual feelings towards one another,” Jayden pointed out, causing Mike to pout. “Fine,” Mike sighed, grabbing Antonio by the arm. “Let’s go Antonio.” 

“Em?” Kevin asked, glancing at the younger Ranger. Emily nodded as they went off in a different direction. 

“That just leaves you and me,” Jayden replied, looking at the Pink Ranger who smiled.

“Let’s go.” 

* * *

The Red and Pink Rangers arrived at a neighborhood where they noticed people peeking out before rushing back inside to hide. “Look Jay,” Mia pointed out, seeing a woman peeking out from her window before closing the curtains. “The people, they’re hiding.” 

“That’s strange,” Jayden frowned, his gaze sweeping around the area. “They seem... afraid.”

“But why?” Mia asked. “That’s the million dollar question,” Jayden sighed. 

* * *

In another part of the island, Kevin and Emily weren’t having much luck. “There’s no one here,” Kevin told the Yellow Ranger who glanced around. “Maybe we can find something in the forest?” Emily suggested, pointing out a path that led to a forested area. “Well, there’s no harm in checking that out,” Kevin shrugged as the two rangers followed the path. 

They scanned around the area for anything suspicious when a bush near them rustled. The Rangers jumped into a defensive position before a young boy around ten, ran out from the bush and into the forest. “Wait!” Emily called running after the boy. Kevin ran after her. “Wait up Em!” 

Emily continued to run after the boy, calling, “Wait! We just want to help!” The boy zig zagged through the forest losing sight of the strange blonde woman running after him. He slowed down and stopped, panting before turning around to find Emily in front of him. He tried to run but Kevin appeared behind him, raising his hands in defense. 

“Whoa! Hold up! We aren’t here to hurt you.” Emily slowly approached him but the boy backed away. “You’re going to hurt me!” he cried in terror. “No we are not,” Emily replied in a soothing tone. “Yes you are! You’re the enemy!” the boy told them, looking at the two Rangers. Seeing their confused looks, the boy began to hesitate and repeated, “Right?” 

Emily and Kevin exchanged looks and said, “No. We’re the good guys. We came to help you.” Emily reached towards the boy who seemed hesitant before she placed her hand on his shoulder. The boy relaxed under her touch, sensing she was a good person. Kevin examined the boy, wondering why he had told them that. Had he seen a Nighlok? Did the Nighlok threaten him? 

Emily rubbed his shoulder and asked, “What made you think we were the enemy?” The boy didn’t know what to respond, as he himself didn’t know. Kevin noticed black spots on his face and narrowed his eyes. He noticed some of the black soot also covered the boy’s clothes. “Hey, what’s that on your face?” The boy instinctively touched his face and looked at his hand, seeing the black ash covering his fingers. “I-I don’t know,” the boy responded, glancing at them. “It fell from the sky.” 

Emily and Kevin exchanged worried glances. 

* * *

Mike knocked on a door to one of the houses. “Hello? Anyone in here?” he called, waiting for an answer but got none. Mike sighed and walked down the stairs. “Nothing,” Mike replied, walking towards the Gold Ranger. He rubbed his face in frustration. It was the fifth house they had gone to and no one came out of the house. 

Antonio’s Samuraizer began to ring making the Gold Ranger answer the call. “ _ Que pasa _ ?” he asked.

“I found out what’s making the people strange,” Kevin told them. “Some kind of ash is covering the people. I talked to a boy who said this soot fell from the sky and it started to make the people act distrustful from one another. We located that the ash is coming from the mountain.” 

“Then what’s the plan, _ mi amigo? _ ” Antonio asked, looking at the Green Ranger. “We destroy the ash,” Kevin commented. “Then let’s regroup at the base of the mountain,” Jayden told the others. “See you there.” Antonio closed his Samuraizer and nodded at Mike. They were about to head about when Tashiko stood in front of them. “Tashiko?” Antonio gasped, seeing the girl he was crushing on in front of him.

Mike noticed that something was off when he felt an enormous presence behind them. He turned around only to receive black flurries of soot thrown in his face. “Argh!” Mike yelled, touching his face making Antonio turn around to see Serrator in front of him. “You always get tricked so easily fool,” Tashiko told Antonio as she shape-shifted into Ami. Her hand glowed with a kanji making Antonio glare at her, summoning his Barracuda Blade. They shot forward only for Ami to hit his chest with the symbol, causing him to gasp out and collapse into the floor. Ami watched as the Green Ranger, glanced around in fear, seeing everyone as his enemy. “Good work, Ami,” Serrator complimented her. “Two down. Four to go.” 

They both disappeared in a white smoke. 

* * *

Mentor Ji was writing a letter when he heard a knock on the door. He raised an eyebrow, knowing he wasn’t expecting anyone but still got to his feet to answer it. He opened the door and found Cody standing there, holding something in his hands. “Cody?” Mentor Ji stated, surprised. “Hello Mentor,” Cody answered with a bow and a big smile on his face. “What do you got there?” Mentor Ji asked, looking at the item Cody was holding. “It’s a project I’ve been working on since Tashiko appeared,” Cody replied as Mentor Ji led him inside. He placed in on the Common Room table before noticing that the hyper teen was missing. “Speaking of Tashiko, where is she?”

Mentor Ji sighed, not knowing what to tell the younger boy. “I think, it’s better if you come see,” Ji told him, leading him towards the infirmary. 

* * *

Emily started to wipe the soot off the boy when Dayu appeared holding a dagger. “Dayu!” Kevin called out in alarm, making Emily turn around to find the Nighlok in front of them. “Hello Rangers,” Dayu sneered, circling around them. Emily pushed the young boy behind her and said, “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Dayu echoed, before chuckling. “ I’ve been expecting you.” The Blue and Yellow Rangers got into a fighting stance, ready to fight Dayu. “We fell into the Nighloks trap!” Kevin growled lowly. “Yes,” Dayu laughed, her eyes narrowing. “Foolishly. Just how I like it.” 

* * *

Mia and Jayden had arrived towards the base of the mountain, noticing that the smoke Kevin had mentioned was stronger. “Looks like Kevin was right,” Mia noted, glancing around the area. “The ash is a lot stronger here,” Jayden commented. “I hope the others come here on time,” Mia replied, noticing that the others hadn’t arrived. 

Jayden felt a presence and turned around, clenching his fists angrily. Mia noticed the Red ranger tense up and turned around to find Dekker walking towards them. “Seems like we got other things to worry about,” Jayden declared, taking out his Samuraizer. “What are you doing here?” 

Dekker smirked and stopped a few feet away from him and raised his sword. “I’m here to duel you,” he stated. “I may not have Uramasa, but this sword will do.” He transformed into his Nighlok form and got into a fighting stance. Jayden morphed and summoned his sword, shooting forward, followed by Mia. 

* * *

Antonio gasped awake, quickly sitting up. He touched his chest, remembering that Ami had slammed a symbol into his chest. “You!” came a shout, snapping him out of his thoughts. Antonio jumped to his feet to find Mike looking at him in pure terror. “Mike?” Antonio whispered, seeing how tightly Mike was gripping his sword. “You’re trying to kill me!” Mike yelled, raising his sword towards the Gold Ranger. “What? No! Mike!” Antonio replied, shaking his head. “I’m not trying to kill you!” He noticed that black ash was covering the Green Ranger's face and clothes. “Oh no,” the Gold Ranger murmured. 

* * *

“This ash made everyone in this island so easily scared and insane!” Dayu laughed as she slashed at Kevin. Emily turned to the young boy and said, “Go home! Hurry!” The boy nodded and ran off down the path while Emily morphed into the Yellow Ranger. She joined the fight exchanging blows with Dayu, driving her against a small creek. Dayu noticed what they were doing and clenched her teeth angrily. 

“Give it up Dayu!” Kevin stated, slashing at her but Dayu slashed at his chest, making him stagger. “I don’t think so!” Dayu grinned, blocking Emily’s attack and attacked her. “I’m not letting you rangers ruin Serrator’s plan!” She dodged the attack they threw at her and spun around, powering up her dagger and slashed at their chest, sending them towards the creek. Both rangers screamed as they spun in air, landing in the water with a splash. Dayu watched them sink in the creek and chuckled, “That’s four down.” She stepped backwards before opening a gap and disappeared through it.

* * *

Jayden and Dekker exchanged blows before Mia blocked both their swords, pushing Dekker off. Both rangers slashed at the Half-Nighlok who easily fought both of the rangers with ease. Dekker began to notice that both Rangers were overwhelming him and he was only interested in fighting the Red Ranger, not the Pink one. Dekker watched as Mia spun around to strike him and noticed an opening to strike her. He slashed at Jayden, causing him to stagger and spun around to slash at Mia. “You’re in the way!” he shouted at her, striking the Pink Ranger in the chest. She spun mid air and landed on the ground with a painful grunt. 

“Mia!” Jayden shouted, as Dekker raised his sword to finish her off. Mia looked at Dekker, her eyes wide in horror when Jayden intercepted, blocking the fatal attack. 

The Red Ranger pushed Dekker away from the Pink Ranger, slashing at the Half-Nighlok. Dekker blocked his attacks, noticing that the Red Ranger's attacks didn’t have the same fire when they had first dueled. He landed a blow on Jayden’s leg, making the Red Ranger to fall to one knee and block his attack. 

“What, Red ranger? You rely on your teammates to fight your battles now?” Dekker taunted. “Have you become so pitiful?” 

Jayden glanced at him puzzled and asked, “What?” 

Dekker shouted angrily, kicking the Red Ranger, making him land on his back and block Dekker’s attack. “You’re weak!” Dekker snarled. 

Mia got on her feet, seeing Jayden struggling with Dekker and shot forward. She exchanged blows with Dekker before the Half-Nighlok sent her tumbling down once more. Jayden rolled over and got to his feet, exchanging blows with Dekker. Dekker managed to get under Jayden’s defenses and stopped his sword inches from the Red Rangers neck. “The lone warrior is the strongest,” Dekker spat, glaring at Jayden who glanced at him. “Fighting with your teammates has made you  _ soft _ . You lost your edge, Red Ranger. I could easily decapitate you, right here and right now.” 

Dekker slashed at Jayden multiple times in the chest, driving him backwards. “Jayden!” Mia yelled from the ground, watching as Jayden didn’t even try to defend himself. Dekker powered up the Mooger sword and struck him in the chest, making the Red Ranger demorph. The Half-Nighlok spun around, slicing the unprotected Ranger in the chest, making Jayden spin in the air and land on the ground. 

Jayden clutched his chest, blood seeping through his fingers as Dekker approached him. He changed back into his human form and spat, “Pathetic. You’re not worth fighting anymore.” Dekker glanced at him one more time before he turned around, leaving the Red Ranger on the ground.

The Red Ranger tried to get to his feet, but collapsed into the ground. The edges around his vision began to darken when he heard a whisper,  _ Jayden. Please be okay. _

“T-Tashiko?” he whispered before losing consciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is half of Trust Me, Act 39: The Very Urgent First Aid Emergency from Samurai Sentai Shingenker and made up. Same for the next few chapters!


	30. The White Ranger

_ He opened his eyes to find her hazel eyes staring right at him. “Maria?” he murmured, trying to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down. “Stay down Jayden. You shouldn’t move,” Maria told him with a sad smile. The Red Ranger clutched his side, finding that his upper torso was covered in a bandage. “What happened? How, how are you alive?” Jayden asked. “I-I saw you die!”  _

_ Maria looked at the ground, avoiding his gaze as Jayden examined her. He noticed her blouse was bloody and had a hole on it where Xandred’s sword had gone through. He looked around, noticing his sister was no where to be found. “ _

_ Where’s Lauren? Where’s my sister?” Jayden asked alarmed. He noticed that tears were streaming down Maria’s face and quickly sat up, grabbing Maria from the shoulders. “What happened to my sister?”  _

_ Maria looked at him and grabbed his hand. “I’m, I’m sorry,” she whispered before glancing behind her. Jayden followed her gaze and his eyes went wide in horror. Lauren laid unmoving a few feet away from them. “No!” Jayden whispered, shaking his head. He got to his feet and rushed towards his sister, skidding the ground. Jayden touched Lauren’s face and began to weep, finding her cold as ice. “No!” Jayden cried, tears beginning to stream down his face. “Lauren! No!”  _

_ Maria watched him as a gentle breeze blew around him. Her heart broke in hearing Jayden’s painful cries and murmured,  _ We are now one. We will protect Jayden together. 

* * *

Cody stared at Tashiko who was laid on the bed and grabbed her hand. “What happened to her? Why is she like this?” Cody asked. Mentor Ji let out a sigh and said, “Serrator and some other Nighlok’s kidnapped her. They were the ones that did this to her.” Cody bit his lip and whispered, “Oh Tashiko. This is why I told you not to trust the Nighlok.” He squeezed her hand tightly, wishing that what he was seeing, was just a dream. 

“I came here wanting to show the project I’ve completed. I wanted to surprise you and it seems like I was the one surprised,” Cody told her in a shaky voice. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Please, get better soon. I’ll come visit you often until you awake.” Cody let Tashiko’s hand go and wiped the tears away from his eyes. He turned to Mentor Ji and said, “I came to show you the new weapon I’ve completed.” 

“Weapon?” Mentor Ji echoed as Cody went back towards the Common Room. 

The young teen unwrapped the item he was carrying, demonstrating it to Mentor Ji. “This, is the Bullzooka,” Cody told him. “It’s fully compatible to work with the BullZord Disk. Courtesy of my design.” Mentor Ji took the weapon from Cody’s hand and examined it in awe. “This is amazing. Thank you Cody. The Rangers will be grateful for this.” 

  
The Gap Sensor went off, making the two men jump in alarm. “What’s going on?” Cody asked as Mentor Ji rushed towards the coffee table. Serena had gotten to the room first and was looking at the map. They circled around her and glanced at the map of the island of Moanalua. The rangers symbols were floating around the island before they completely disappeared. “Oh no,” Serena whispered, looking at Mentor Ji who zoomed into the map. 

“This is bad. They seemed to have lost their connection to their Samuraizers.”

Mentor Ji looked at Serena, taking out a Samuraizer from his robes. “They need you. This is an ancient morpher, but I’ll do the job.” The Yellow Ranger received the Morpher and glanced at Mentor Ji. “Are you sure about this?” Ji gave her a nod. “They need the other Yellow Ranger.” 

Serena nodded and said, “Alright. I’ll go.” She turned away from the two before feeling Cody grab her arm. “Wait, before you go,” Cody told her, grabbing the Bullzooka. “You should take this.” 

Serena took the weapon and asked, “What is this?” 

“It’s a new weapon I designed,” Cody answered. “It’s called the Bullzooka. This weapon will help aid the Rangers. All they have to do is attach the BullZord disk and bam! It’s a gun!”

“Whoa,” Serena chuckled, looking over the weapon.

“Oh! And they can also make it Super with the Black Box,” Cody added. Serena nodded in understanding as she rushed out the door. 

“Good luck, Serena,” Ji murmured. 

* * *

Mia paced back and forth as she tried to call the others but to no avail. She and Jayden were on an abandoned barn, hidden. Mia closed her Samuraizer and sighed, “No one’s answering. I don’t know if the ash is blocking the signal or something happened to the others.” She hoped it wasn’t the latter and hoped her friends were alright. Mia glanced at the Red Ranger who had woken up and was in deep thought. His chest was bandaged and his injury had been treated. Mia was thankful it was only a superficial wound and not a grave deeper wound. She looked at him, worry creeping at her, seeing him so...thoughtful. “Are you okay Jayden?” Mia asked, approaching the Red Ranger. 

_ I only duel warriors that are worth fighting for, _ Dekker’s voice echoed in Jayden’s head. _ You rely on your teammates to fight your battles now? You’ve grown  _ soft! 

_ You lost your edge, Red Ranger. You’re not worth dueling anymore.  _

Jayden clenched his jaw angrily, remembering Dekker’s words before feeling a hand on his bare shoulder. He turned around to find Mia looking at him worriedly. “Jayden, are you okay?” Mia asked in concern. Jayden glanced back at the forest, remaining silent. Mia sighed, knowing that he was probably thinking about what Dekker had told him. “Look Jayden, it was just a set back. You’re…”

“No,” Jayden interrupted, getting to his feet. He turned to glance at the Pink Ranger and stated, “He’s right. I’ve grown weak! You saw how he could easily have cut my head off! You saw how easily he could’ve killed me!” 

Mia took a step back from Jayden’s outburst, not expecting that answer from the Red Ranger. 

“I’ve got to find Dekker,” Jayden replied. “You’re wounded!” Mia protested, but Jayden ignored her. He brushed past her and before he exited he declared, “Don’t you see Mia? He was using a Mooger sword and he almost killed me! When he has Uramasa back, he’ll be twice as deadly.” Jayden clenched his fists and stated, “He won’t hesitate to kill me or anyone else on the team.” 

“Jayden, please stop,” Mia began, approaching the Red Ranger. “We have faith in you Jayden. You will defeat Dekker.” 

Jayden clenched his jaw, hating how his friends trusted him so much but yet, he couldn’t trust them with the truth. Something about her saying that only made him snap. 

“You don’t know that!” Jayden snapped, turning around to face her. “There’s somethings you don’t know about me.” Jayden backed away from Mia before running into the field, hoping to find Dekker. 

Mia watched the Red Ranger leave. 

* * *

Kevin awoke to find himself laid half submerged in the water. He groaned, rubbing his head, trying to comprehend what had happened. He remembered Dayu attacking him and Emily, making him immediately get to his feet. “Em!” Kevin gasped, scanning the area for the Yellow Ranger. He found her laid against the shore a few feet away from him. “Emily!” 

The Blue Ranger got to shore and rushed towards the Yellow Ranger. He shook Emily who groaned, trying to shoo away the person waking her from her slumber. “Five more minutes Serena…” she muttered. “Emily! Get up!” Kevin called making her snap her eyes open. “What?” Emily gasped, quickly sitting up. She looked around, finding herself half submerged in the water. “What happened?” 

“Dayu,” Kevin responded making Emily narrow her eyes. “C’mon. I don’t know how long we were knocked out, but the others are probably waiting for us.” He helped Emily to her feet before they noticed the smoke getting thicker. “We should hurry,” Emily nodded in agreement as both Rangers raced towards the bottom of the mountain.

* * *

Meanwhile at the base of the mountain, Dayu and Dekker awaited for any signs of the Rangers. Dayu paced back and forth impatiently while Dekker sat on a tree trunk, lazily observing the area. The Half-Nighlok heard rapid footsteps before turning around to find the Red Ranger. He looked rather winded and exhausted as he stopped in short of them. “Seems we got company,” Dayu told Dekker, who grunted uninterested. 

Jayden noticed that the smoke was even thicker in the base of the mountain and clenched his jaw. “So this is where all the ash is coming from,” he murmured before Dayu neared him, dagger in hand. “And that’s as close you’ll get Red Ranger,” Dayu told him before looking at Dekker. “He’s all yours, Dekker.” 

Dekker glanced away with a scoff and said, “I’m not interested. He’s not worth fighting.” 

Dayu blinked surprised at his response but shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She turned to face the Red Ranger before shooting forward to attack Jayden. The Red Ranger got out his Samuraizer to morph but was cut short when Dayu swung at him with her danto. He dodged her attacks before Dayu spun around, side kicking him in his injured chest. Jayden gasped in pain as he was thrown backwards and landed on the ground painfully. His Samuraizer fell from his hand and landed a few feet away from him. 

The Red Ranger tried to reach for his Samuraizer when Dayu neared him, dagger high in the air. “Time to finish you off, Red Ranger!” she commented and brought the blade down. 

Suddenly a Pink blur appeared in front of Jayden, blocking Dayu’s deadly attack. “You!” Dayu snarled as the Pink Ranger threw off Dayu’s attack and swung at her, making the Half-Nighlok stagger backwards. “Mia!” Jayden shouted angrily, sitting up while clutching his injury. “I can fight my own battles!” 

Mia clenched her jaw and glared at the Red Ranger, her brown eyes blazing afire. “Have you forgotten Jayden? We swore to protect you and the Sealing Symbol at all costs! We put our lives in your hands and you trusted to put yours in ours!” 

Jayden’s eyes went wide, remembering the oath all the Rangers took when they took the Samuraizers to become the new Samurai Rangers. “That isn’t a weakness Jayden,” Mia continued. “That is what makes us stronger!” Her face went soft and stated gently, “That’s why it’s Rangers together, Samurai forever.” Jayden glanced at the ground ashamed that he doubted his team. Mia noticed that her words have hit home and said, “I’d like to say more, but Dayu owes me some payback, don’t you?” Mia turned around to glare at the female Nighlok who curled her lip. “Let’s go then Pink!” Dayu snapped as Mia morphed into the Pink Ranger. 

The two females engaged into battle while Jayden slowly got to his feet. He had been a fool in falling into Dekker’s twisted words. He had ignored his friends, the ones he truly believed in. “Thanks Mia,” Jayden murmured as he morphed into the Red Ranger. “I got your back!” 

* * *

Antonio panted as he hid behind a fence, hoping Mike wouldn’t find him. For the last few minutes, the Green Ranger had been trying to kill him. He had avoided being sliced in pieces but had gotten hit a few times by Mike’s Leaf Storm. It hurt like hell but he had taken the hits while morphed. Antonio had one more chance to avoid another attack before his suit gave out. He glanced out behind the fence, finding the Green Ranger pacing back and forth while grabbing his hair. “They’re out to kill me,” he whispered while clutching the SpinSword tightly around his hands. “Everyone’s out to kill me.” Antonio let out a sigh, hoping the others would break the spell soon. 

Suddenly Mike turned around and spotted Antonio, launching himself towards the Gold Ranger. Antonio felt a power spike and got off the fence, just in time to see Mike’s Forest Spear drive a hole through the wooden fence. “I knew it! You want to kill me! But I won’t let you! Because I’ll kill you first!” Antonio caught Mike’s Forest Spear, the blade cutting through his hand but managed to throw the Green Ranger over his shoulder. 

Mike landed, winded before Antonio grabbed him. “Snap out of it Mike!”

“Leave me alone!” Mike shouted, pushing Antonio before grabbing his Forest Spear. Antonio dodged his attacks before hitting Mike in the back of the head, knocking him out. 

* * *

Dayu and Mia exchanged blows before Dayu knocked Mia into the ground, forcing her to stay on the ground. The Half-Nighlok placed her dagger dangerously close to Mia’s neck and sneered, “You think you can beat me? I beat the other Rangers! I think Blue and Yellow were done for!” Mia clenched her jaw before glancing over Dayu’s shoulder, and smiled. “I wouldn’t say that.” She pushed Dayu with her feet, making the Nighlok stagger. The Pink Ranger got to her feet as the Blue and Yellow Ranger joined her side. “What?!” Dayu exclaimed seeing the two Rangers standing beside Mia. “How?!”

“It will take a little more than water to stop us!” Emily exclaimed as Jayden joined her side.

“If it takes more than water to stop you? Where’s Gold and Green?” Dayu pointed out with a smirk. 

“Here we are,” Antonio stated, appearing beside Jayden. “Where’s Mike?” Emily asked the Gold Ranger who scratched the back of his head. “He’s knocked out for right now,” Antonio stated with a nervous chuckle. “What? Why?” Emily asked worried. “Serrator, threw some ash on his face and now he thinks we’re gonna kill him,” Antonio sighed. “Great,” Kevin replied as Jayden stepped forward. 

“Now, put out that fire that’s causing the people distrustful! Or else we will!” Jayden threatened. Dayu growled and stepped forward when Serrator suddenly appeared out of thin air. “You’re too weak to put out anything,” Serrator stated. “Why a messy sword fight when you can have a gun show?” The Rangers looked at him confused as Serrator chuckled. “Haven’t you heard? The SpinSword is obsolete, right? General Maldan!”

“Indeed, Serrator-sama!” said a voice as a gap opened and a Nighlok with an army of Moogers appeared. “The era of the laser blaster is here!” The Moogers quickly surrounded the Rangers from all angles making the Rangers glance around in horror. “Master Blasters! Aim!” General Maldan ordered as the Moogers aimed at the rangers. “Fire!” 

* * *

Maria gasped awake, sitting up quickly and grabbed her head in shock. She got to her feet and tried to run but the chains held her back.  _ Tashiko! Tashiko! _ , she yelled in alarm. Her other self didn’t respond to her calls, making Maria worry.  _ Kaisoko-hime! _ Maria screamed. 

The fire princess appeared in a whirl of flaming fire, forging into the blonde haired Red Ranger. “Maria, what do  _ you _ want?” Kaisoko-hime declared angrily. “You already did enough damage, don’t you think?” 

_ Kaisoko-hime, I didn’t summon you to fight with you, _ Maria stated.  _ Please, listen to me. Something, something has changed in the timeline _ . 

“I’m not here to listen to your lies,” Kaisoko-hime interrupted. “I had enough of you. I thought you were different, but you’re just the same as Akiko.”

Maria flinched back at the insult before saying,  _ Kaisoko-hime, this isn’t a lie! _ She noticed that the fire princess had turned away and was walking away from her.  _ Kaisoko-hime! Hear me out! Not as a Ranger but as the Guardian of Time! _ Maria yelled, her voice laced in fear. 

Kaisoko-hime stopped in her tracks, noticing the shift of tone and looked over her shoulder. “What is it?” 

_ Something, I don’t know what it is, but something has changed. The world is in danger! _ Maria cried out.  _ We need to warn the Rangers! We need Tashiko to wake up and warn them! _

Kaisoko-hime clenched her fists and snarled, “Well guess what Maria? After that little show you did with Ami, Tashiko’s body has been deteriorating!”

Maria’s eyes went wide and asked,  _ What the hell are you talking about? _

“Tashiko’s body is weaker than yours,” Kaisoko-hime pointed out. “She doesn’t have your powers. She was beaten near death! She is in a coma and her spirit keeps growing weaker by the day.” Kaisoko-hime stormed towards Maria and grabbed her by her tattered kimono. “You  _ killed _ Tashiko, Maria! And now because of your little ego fight, you’re going to die too!” 

“You destroyed your only chance to get back! You destroyed _ yourself! _ ”

* * *

The Rangers avoided the bullets, dodging and diving to the ground. Jayden rolled on the ground before taking out the Black Box. He morphed into Super Samurai mode, blocking the bullets just in time from hitting his friends. “We got to move faster than they can shoot!” he told the others as they nodded. “Right!” the Rangers answered as they ran off in different directions. The firing squad didn’t know who to shoot as the Rangers ran in different directions, circling the Moogers. They ran out of bullets and began to refill their blasters when Jayden shot forward, slashing at them. The other Rangers headed into the battle attacking the Moogers. Antonio saw the General Maldan taking a few steps back, trying to escape. The Gold Ranger jumped in the air and yelled, “Hey! Up here!” General Maldan glanced up to find Antonio’s blade coming down on his chest making him stagger as the Gold Ranger landed on the ground. “LZ and I came here to slash some sense into you!” He spun around, slashing at General Maldan before stabbing him in the chest. Sparks flew off the General’s chest as he was sent flying into the ground by Antonio’s attack. 

Antonio smirked seeing General Maldan struggling to get up and said, “So much for the era of the laser blasters!” General Maldan smirked and signaled at the second firing squad that was positioned at the edge of the cliff. “You guys can’t hit us!” Antonio boasted when suddenly the Moogers fired at him. Sparks flew off the Gold Ranger’s suit as the Rangers spun around to find the Gold Ranger getting bombarded with bullets. “Antonio!” Emily shouted, seeing the smoke coming out of the Gold Ranger's suit. Antonio groaned as he collapsed face first into the ground, demorphing. “NO!” Jayden screamed, seeing his best friend on the ground. 

Flashes of Antonio dying flashed in his mind making the Red Ranger run towards his friend.  _ No! _ Jayden thought as he skidded the ground.  _ NO! _

“Are you okay?” Kevin asked as Antonio tried to sit up. “I’ll tell you as soon as the birds start spinning,” Antonio answered before clutching his chest. “Ugh. It hurts a lot.” 

Kevin glanced around trying to figure out where they shot Antonio from when his heart dropped. “Oh no. Look up there.” The other Rangers turned to the direction Kevin was glancing at and saw another fire squad aiming at them from the cliff. “There’s master blasters all around us,” Mia whispered. “So...many,” Emily whimpered, taking a step back, seeing that they were surrounded. “It’s a whole army,” Kevin stated. 

General Maldan laughed as he walked towards one of his fire squads and said, “Like I said, the new era has begun. This lasers will zap you to your deaths. Prepare for your end.” The Rangers got into defensive positions while Antonio watched from the ground. “You know, it’s a bit unfair to have a gun show without my consent,” stated a voice, making everyone face the newcomer. “Tashiko?” Jayden gasped, his eyes widening, hoping it was the Purple Ranger. To his disappointment, it was a White Ranger with the kanji for Earth, standing a few feet away from the rangers. “Who's that?” Antonio asked, looking at the others who seemed confused as he was. “I don’t know,” Kevin answered. 

“Who the hell are you?” General Maldan demanded, glaring at the White Ranger. “I am, the White Samurai Ranger,” the Ranger answered, holding a covered item. General Maldan curled his lips up in anger and stated, “Attack her!” The White Ranger attached the item on her back before summoning a SpinSword. She spun around, slashing at the Moogers who tried to blast her point blank, easily disposing them.

“Man! I’ve waiting so long to do that!” she stated before glancing at General Maldan. “Are those weapons what you, Nighloks, call blasters?” She grabbed the item on her back and revealed a Bull shaped blaster. “This is a blaster!” She grabbed a white disk from her belt and attached it to the Bullzooka. The weapon made a bull sound making General Maldan shout, “Stop her! Now!” 

The White Ranger spun around, shooting at all the Moogers that were at the cliffs, before shooting at Maldan. The Nighlok and his firing squad were sent flying backwards before the White Ranger leaned the weapon against her shoulder.

“Now that’s what you call fire power.” 


	31. The Bullzooka

The White Ranger approached the other Rangers who got into defensive positions. “Who are you?” Jayden asked, glaring at the White Ranger who chuckled. “Wow, you don’t even recognize the suit,” the White Ranger laughed. “But then again, the first time I wore it, you were...a Werewolf…” 

“Serena?” Emily gasped, recognizing the voice. “The one and only,” Serena smiled making Emily rush and hug her older sibling. “What are you doing here?” Mia asked puzzled. “Well, Mentor told me to give you this,” Serena told them, handing Jayden the Bullzooka. “It’s a gift from Cody. Apparently the kid built this Bullzooka.” 

“Cody did that?” Emily asked, looking at her sister. 

“That thing packs a punch!” Mike commented. 

General Maldan let out a frustrated shout making the Rangers get into their fighting stances. “I don’t need those losers!” he snarled, glaring at the fallen Moogers. “I’ll finish you on my own terms!” 

“Serena, get Antonio out of here!” Jayden ordered as he grabbed his SpinSword and rushed to fight Maldan. Serena nodded and helped Antonio to his feet, leading him away from the battlefield. 

“Think again!” Jayden told the General as he blocked the bullets. He jumped in the air, shooting at General Maldan with the Bullzooka. 

“No!” General Maldan shouted as he staggered from the bullets. Jayden landed on the ground, slashing at him with ease. The General snarled angrily, spinning around and tried to shot Jayden point blank, but the Red Ranger blocked the shot and fired at the General head on. The two exchanged blows rapidly before the General shouted, “Dodge this!” He fired at the Red Ranger who flipped backwards to avoid the bullets firing at him.

Jayden landed on the ground, skidding the floor before smirking, “My turn.” He fired at Maldan in the chest causing the Nighlok to land on his back painfully. Serena could see Jayden was about to land the finishing blow and shouted, “Attach the SpinSword and the Black Box into the Bullzooka! It will make it Super!” 

“Alright!” Jayden nodded, doing what Serena told him and watched the Bullzooka power up. He pointed the blaster at General Maldan who tried to crawl backwards. “I’ve had enough of you and your guns. Time to really let this bull loose.” Jayden spun the disk of the Bullzooka and shouted, “Super Bullzooka!” 

He aimed at General Maldan and fired, “Bullzooka Blast!” 

“NO!” General Maldan shouted as the blast hit him point blank. “But Samurai aren’t supposed to have blasters!” The Nighlok collapsed into the ground, exploding.

“Awesome!” the other Rangers stated as they rushed towards Jayden. 

Suddenly Maldan grew mega sized and towered upon the rangers. “Red Ranger! You made a huge mistake!” Jayden glanced at the other Rangers who looked at him in worry. “I got to destroy that fire to get rid of the spell,” he told them. “Think you can hold him off?” The Rangers nodded while Antonio limped towards them. “Go Jayden. We’ll handle this.” The Red Ranger gave a nod before rushing towards the base of the mountain. 

While the others fought Maldan in his second form, Jayden was walking towards Serrator’s fire. He fired at the Moogers that tried to stop him before stopping in front of Dekker. The Half-Nighlok was blocking the way before stating in disgust, “So this is how you fight now? With blasters?” 

Dekker extended his arms to the sides and mocked, “Go ahead. Shoot me. I dare you.” Jayden narrowed his eyes and aimed at Dekker with the Bullzooka.  _ Don’t let his words get to you _ , Mia’s voice echoed in his head and he closed his eyes, lowering the weapon. Dekker scoffed, shaking his head. “You don’t have the guts, do you, Red Rranger?” 

Jayden powered up the Bullzooka and stated, “Super Bullzooka!” 

Dekker continued to watch him as Jayden aimed at him once more. “Sorry Dekker, but I have other things that are more important.” He fired the weapon, the fiery form of the Bullzord zooming past Dekker and into the fiery pit of the spell. It instantly exploded, destroying the fire and destroying the spell that held Moanalua. 

At the same time, the Rangers destroyed General Maldan, sending the Nighlok exploding to the ground. They powered down before Antonio limped towards Serena, who was guarding Mike’s body. The Green Ranger quickly sat up, rubbing his head. “What, what happened?” Mike asked as Emily crashed into him for a hug. “Long story,” Antonio chuckled. “Let’s just say, you had the urge to kill me.”

“I remember Serrator throwing that ash in my face,” Mike stated, nodding his head.  “Em! I can’t breathe!” he told the Yellow Ranger who was hugging him tightly. “Sorry!” Emily gasped, letting Mike go. The Rangers heard an explosion in the distance before Kevin said, “We should go help Jayden.” The Rangers nodded and got to their feet, rushing to aid their leader. 

“Seems you got your fighting spirit back,” Dekker commented, taking out his sword. Jayden continued to aim at Dekker with the Bullzooka, not once wavering. “Unfortunately,” Dekker continued, aiming his sword at Jayden. “That blaster is no match for a smooth blade.” Dekker shot forward when suddenly Serrator appeared in front of him blocking Dekker from attacking Jayden. 

“Stop,” Serrator declared, stopping both men. “Gentlemen. Are you seriously fighting a battle for egos?” He turned around to look at Dekker who glanced away angrily. “No, no. I have bigger and other plans for you.” 

Serrator glanced at Jayden as Dayu walked towards Serrator, joining Dekker. “Let’s elevate this to a clash of titans,” Serrator declared to Jayden. He raised his hands to the side as smoke began to surround the three Nighloks. “A fight where no one will survive.” They disappeared from sight, just as two Spitfangs and a Papyrax appeared in their place. 

“Oh no,” Jayden stated as he saw them grow Mega sized. 

“We got here as quick as we could Jayden!” Kevin told the Red Ranger before skidding the floor, seeing the Spitfangs and Papyrax. The other Rangers arrived in time to see them form. “Not these guys,” Mike stated with a pout. “Come on guys!” Jayden replied as he took out his Samuraizer. “Super Samurai Combination!” The Claw Armor MegaZord formed, teleporting all the Rangers into the cockpit. “We are united!” 

* * *

Maria paced back and forth, wondering what to do. If what Kaisoko-Hime had said was true, that meant they were going to erased from existence!  _ NO! I can’t be erased from existence! _ , Maria thought as she paced, grabbing her jet-black hair.  _ If I do, this would be for nothing _ ! She continued to pace before pausing, hearing a slight whisper. 

“Help...Someone….please...help.” 

_ Tashiko _ , Maria gasped, pulling on the chains that held her down.  _ I have to get to Tashiko! I have to! _ She continued to pull on the chains, trying to rip them from the magical force that held her down.  _ Pull Maria! Pull! _ , she thought as she continued to pull on them. She let her element slowly envelop her as a purple hue glowed around her, lightning crackled around her.

_ Pull! _

* * *

The Claw Armor MegaZord slashed at the Papyrax while the Spitfangs opened their mouths, shooting fireballs at the MegaZord. The MegaZord staggered from the impact making the Rangers hold on to their cockpits. “Man, those guys are really trying to roast us!” Antonio commented as he drove the MegaZord forward. “Double Katana Slash!”

The MegaZord slashed at the Spitfangs, easily destroying them. “Alright!” Emily exclaimed, punching the air excitedly. “Two Spitfangs down, one Papyrax to go!” “Let’s end this,” Jayden ordered as he took out the Shogun Power Disk. “We are going to need more firepower for this one. Shogun Mode!” He attached the Shogun Power Disk to his belt before turning him into Shogun Red. As he transformed, he felt the pulse of energy he sensed a few months back, stronger than ever.  In the hazy memory of seeing the other five Shoguns, he noticed a sixth Shogun that was never there before.  _ Who is that _ ?, Jayden thought, seeing the Purple Shogun. 

He was snapped back to reality when he heard the other Rangers yelling out. The Shogun Spear appeared in his hands as he heard Mike say, “Let’s stick it to him!” Jayden nodded as he said, “Ultimate Samurai Combination!” The Claw Armored MegaZord transformed into the GigaZord MegaZord. “Samurai Gigazord! We are united!” all the Rangers shouted. “Tiger Drill Charge!” Antonio yelled as he attacked Papyrax. “Pincher Slash!” 

The Papyrax staggered back, sparking from the attacks before Jayden swung his Shogun Spear, yelling, “Symbol Power!” Symbol power appeared around the MegaZord, powering it up before the Red Ranger said, “Shogun strike!” The Rangers Symbol Power slammed into the Papyrax making it scream, before it exploded. The Rangers whooped in excitement before the MegaZord powered down. 

“Samurai Rangers, victory is ours.” 

* * *

“That was amazing!” Serena told them as she went to hug Emily. The Rangers chuckled, embarrassed at the compliment. “Come on,” Serena stated, leading Emily towards the dock. “Our boat is waiting.” 

Mike followed the older Ranger, followed by Antonio. Mia stayed behind with Jayden who seemed lost in thought. “Dekker was wrong about you,” Mia told him, making the Red Ranger glance at her. “You aren’t weak with teammates. It just makes us stronger. It makes you stronger. Don’t ever forget that.” Mia gave him a hug making Jayden whisper, “Thanks.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for,” Mia answered, before leaving after Kevin. Jayden watched as Mia went to hug Kevin and the two went towards the docks together. His smile disappeared and he sighed, feeling a deep dread in his heart.  _ If they only knew _ , Jayden thought sadly as he slowly trailed behind them. 

“Man you should have seen how Serena was taking out the Moogers with the Bullzooka!” Emily told Mike as she bounced around Serena and Mike. “It was amazing!” 

“I bet it was,” Mike replied, scratching the back of his head nervously. He could see Serena rise an eyebrow at him and he gave her a nervous smile. “Oh look! The boats here!” the Green Ranger stated, rushing towards the boat. “Hey! Wait up!” Emily called, running after him. 

Serena shook her head, laughing enjoying in making the Green Ranger nervous. Antonio joined her and chuckled, “They seem so happy together.” 

“Yes,” Serena replied, watching her sister mess around with Mike. “I can’t believe my baby sister is growing up so fast.” She glanced at Antonio whose smile had disappeared and looked hurt. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Serena asked, believing she had said something wrong. “No, just thinking,” Antonio replied, looking away. “Hey, she’s going to be better soon,” Serena told him touching his shoulder. “I’m not sure,” Antonio sighed sadly. “It seems she keeps getting worse.” 

“Hey, don’t lose faith,” Serena told him. “She’ll get better. You’ll see.” Antonio saw Serena’s hope filled eyes and gave her a small smile. 

“Thanks.” 

Jayden walked towards the dock before a piercing pain filled his head. He clutched his head, staggering as images filled his head. 

_ Someone...please...help me… _ came a whisper. J

ayden began to see flashes of the woman in the tattered kimono trying to break free from some chains. 

_ I’ll help you! Hold on! _ , the woman shouted, pulling on the chains.  _ I have to get to her! I have to get to Tashiko! _

Jayden gasped, realizing that this woman was looking for Tashiko. 

“Jayden, are you okay?” came a voice and he turned to find Serena and Antonio looking at him worriedly. “I-I’m fine,” Jayden nodded, his hand still in his head. He panted, not comprehending why he had seen that. What was going on? “We, we should head back to the Shiba House,” Jayden told them, walking towards the dock. The Yellow and Gold Rangers exchanged worried glances before following the Red Ranger.

* * *

Hideo walked alone the shores of the Human world near Paranoma City beach. He was in his human form and was enjoying the view. He watched as the humans played and laughed in the ocean water, enjoying the day. Hideo’s smile disappeared knowing that the plan he had created for Serrator’s destruction had been set in motion. 

Suddenly his crystal ball began to glow making Hideo look at it in worry. Magic swirled around it before an image appeared. It was Maria, trying to break free of the spell he had placed on her, trying to break the magical chains that held her down.  _ What the hell is she doing? _ , he thought angrily.  _ If she keeps this up, she’ll break the chains and try to merge _ . Hideo raised his hands, disappearing in a swirl of magic. 

He reappeared at the Shiba House, and glanced around, seeing Cody talking to Mentor Ji in the Common Room. Hideo took the chance to run through the yard, and went through Tashiko’s window and into the infirmary. He knew after the torture, Tashiko was probably in the infirmary. 

When Hideo got there, he skidded the floor, seeing how badly injured she was. She wasn’t even awake, hell, her vitals were too low, indication she was critical. “Oh my god,” Hideo whispered, approaching Tashiko. She was pale and she looked so tiny in the bed. Tears began to appear in his eyes as he placed a hand on her face. “What have I done?” he whispered, caressing her face. “I did this to protect you. I-I couldn’t let you reveal yourself. Yet, you went berserk and the others now know you have a hidden power.” Hideo wiped away the tears from his face before touching her head, plunging himself into her inner mind.

Hideo appeared near Maria who was pulling on the chains, her body glowing a Purple hue. He noticed her freeze in spot before her glowing red eyes glanced at him, noticing his presence. 

_ You _ , Maria snarled, her lips curling up angrily.  _ Look at what you’ve done _ . 

“I only did this to protect you and your power!” Hideo told her and tried to approach her. 

Lightning crackled around her as she took a few steps towards Hideo.  _ Don’t tell me what to do, traitor! _ Maria glared at him and snarled,  _ Don’t you think I know about your little fiasco? You have guided the Nighloks the same path we struggling in our timeline. You will bring us death! You’ll destroy what I’ve been trying so hard to avoid!  _

“That’s what I’ve been trying to avoid as well!” Hideo yelled, looking at Maria who only laughed darkly. 

_ What do you know about time? You know nothing! Let me free bastard! _

“I knew you would get like this,” HIdeo commented, turning around to leave. “You can’t protect the Rangers forever.” 

_ I will no matter, how many timelines, dimensions I have to cross. They will succeed _ , Maria growled, narrowing her eyes. She watched him leave before sneering,  _ After all, the reason you came with me, was to come save Emily and safe yourself…. _

Hideo froze and spun around to face Maria, who had an ugly smirk in her face. 

_ By keeping me in here, you will only let the Nighloks win and the Rangers get their demise. Is that what you want? You want Emily and the Rangers die in this timeline too?  _

Hideo clenched his jaw, knowing Maria was twisting her words around so he could fall into her trap. “No, I’m not willing to risk letting you free,” Hideo stated, turning around once more. 

_ Will you risk Tashiko hating you forever, knowing I had the power to change that? Will she ever, forgive you, knowing you had the answer to solve that problem? _ Maria sneered, seeing that was a low blow to Hideo. He clenched his hand around his staff and continued to walk forward making Maria chuckle. 

_ Then, you’ll let her die as well? She only has a few days before she  _ dies _ , Hideo. If she doesn’t merge with me soon, her death and the worlds, will lay in your  _ hands. 

Hideo glanced at the ground before saying, “And that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Maria laughed as he disappeared from sight. 

_ We’ll see. _

* * *

Ami glanced out at the ocean as the water lapped into the rocky shore. Serrator had called her and Kameyo to accompany him for his Phase Three plan. He said he needed an escort to get an item he needed to proceed with his plan and had decided to go with. 

Sadness suddenly overwhelmed Ami, as her mind remembered a lost memory of her and the Rangers enjoying the beach. “Are you sure you hid it here, Serrator?” Kameyo’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Ami was brought back to the present as she glanced at Kameyo who was looking around the shore. “Yes,” Serrator replied as he scouted the area. “Aha!” He kneeled down and dug around the sand before slowly drawing out Dayu’s Harmonium. “There you are.” 

“Dayu’s Harmonium?” Ami stated, uninterested. She walked towards them and crossed her arms. “What’s that going to do?”

“This,” Serrator stated, holding up the instrument. “Is our key for the Earth’s destruction.”

“How is that going to do that?” Kameyo inquired. “It’s an instrument.” 

“Not just any instrument,” Serrator told her, glancing at her. He passed his hand over the strings of the harmonium, which let out a sad hum. “This instrument contains all of Dayu’s suffering over the last centuries. We are going to use this to draw that out and open a crack in the Earth.” 


	32. Serrator's Betrayal

_ I don’t care what he wants. _

_ I’m going to break this spell! _

Maria pulled with all her might, trying to break the chains that tied her down. 

_ I need to get to Tashiko! _

_ I need to save her! _

Maria could feel the weakness creeping on her and knew she didn’t have much time. 

_ Hang on!  _

_ I will not tolerate dying! _

A cry of a wolf echoed around her as Maria suddenly felt a rush of power go through her. Her eyes flashed and pulled on the chains, breaking them from the ground. Maria collapsed into the ground and sat up, her face filled with determination. 

_ I’m going to save you Tashiko! _

* * *

**_Northern Mountains, Russia_ **

Dekker and Dayu were walking through the snowy forest, trying to find shelter when Dayu suddenly stopped. Dekker noticed the Half-Nighlok had stopped walking and turned around to look at her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you hear it?” Dayu asked, scanning the snowy area. “Hear what?” Dekker repeated. 

Dayu glanced at Dekker and whispered, “I can sense my harmonium. Someone has it!” She took off down the trail and opened a gap, disappearing through it. Dekker ran after her, opening a gap and disappeared after her. 

* * *

**Netherworld**

Master Xandred snarled, hearing the sad hum of Dayu’s Harmonium. He saw through a gap that Serrator had it in his hands, making him clench his fists. “See Master, I told you Serrator wasn’t to be trusted!” Octoroo stated, glancing at Master Xandred. The Master of all Nighlok’s got to his feet, smashing the gap that revealed Serrator. 

“Serrator,” Xandred growled lowly, his yellow eyes narrowed angrily. He walked towards the ship’s deck and looked out into the Sanzu River. “That traitor!” 

Octoroo followed his master and said, “Ooh ahh ooh! What are you going to do Master?” Master Xandred placed his hands on the ship’s railing and tightened his grip on it, slowly breaking it. “I’m going to show Serrator that he shouldn’t have doubled crossed me!” Xandred snarled. “And how are you going to do that?” Octoroo asked, looking at his master. 

Master Xandred’s lips curled into a snarl and declared, “I’m going to the Human World.”

Octoroo was taken aback from the response and immediately stated, “But Master Xandred! You won’t be able to stay there too long! You run the risk of dryi-” 

“I don’t care,” Xandred snarled, interrupting his most loyal companion. He turned around to glare at Octoroo and growled, “I’m going to kill Serrator. I’m going to tear him apart! No one fools me and gets away from it alive!” 

Octoroo watched as Xandred spun around and walked inside the ship, knowing that nothing was going to change Master Xandred’s mind. 

* * *

**_Human World_ **

Antonio watched worriedly as Serena checked Tashiko once more. She had concluded two days back that Tashiko was slowly fading away. The beating had taken a toll too great in her body and she wasn’t going to hold out much longer. Serena sighed as she grabbed Tashiko’s hand and shook her head. 

“Nothing. She just keeps getting worse.” 

“Don’t tell me that!” Antonio told Serena who glanced at him. “I’m sorry,” she replied sadly as the Gold Ranger’s eyes get teary eyed. “Jayden needs to know.” 

Antonio glanced at the ground and whispered, “How much longer till she….” 

“Probably a few days, maybe even less,” Serena replied. She touched the Gold Rangers shoulder and said, “I think you should prepare for the worst.” 

Suddenly the Gap Sensor went off making Antonio sigh and look at Tashiko. “Go, I’ll take care of her,” Serena told him as he walked towards Tashiko. Antonio took her hand and squeezed it. “I’ll be back soon,” he told her before giving her a kiss in the forehead. He gave a nod to Serena before rushing towards the Common Room. 

The other Rangers were gathered around the coffee table, waiting for him. “There is some disturbance at the coastline,” Ji informed them. “I don’t know if it’s a Nighlok or a Mooger attack.” “Don’t worry, we’ll check it out,” Jayden told his mentor. “Rangers.” 

The others gave a nod and quickly ran out of the house, followed by Jayden.

Serena walked towards Ji who seemed worried. “Are you okay, Mentor?” 

“No,” Ji replied, looking at her. “I have a very bad feeling.” 

* * *

The Rangers arrived at the coastline to find Serrator, Kameyo and Ami on a cliff, waiting for their arrival. “Well look who we have here,” Ami smirked, glowering at them. “If it isn’t my old friends.”

“Ami,” Emily growled, summoning her SpinSword. Jayden placed a hand in front of the Yellow Ranger, not wanting her to fight the Half-Nighlok. “Serrator,” Jayden growled.

“Rangers,” Serrator began with a pleased smile. 

“Glad you made it to the party,” Kameyo smirked, flicking her hair off her face. 

The Pink Ranger scanned the area before noticing Dayu’s instrument in Serrator’s hands. “Dayu’s Harmonium? Why does Serrator have it?” Mia asked confused. 

“Enough talk,” Jayden declared, glaring at the Nighlok. “Why are you here?” 

“Ah, that is a secret soon to be revealed,” Serrator winked, making the Rangers summon their weapons. He raised his hand and yelled, “Moogers! Attack!” 

Dozens of Moogers suddenly appeared, surrounding the Rangers. The Rangers immediately began to attack, slashing at them. 

“Mind if I join the party?” Ami asked, looking at Serrator who nodded. “Knock yourself out,” he answered as the Half-Nighlok launched herself towards the ground. She landed on the ground lightly before shooting towards the unsuspecting Yellow Ranger. She knocked her into the ground, making her yell in surprise. 

Both women rolled on the ground before quickly getting to their feet. Emily blocked Ami’s claws with her sword, making the latter smirk. “Well, well, seems little Emily has new fighting techniques,” Ami cackled as Emily pushed her off her sword. “I learned a few new tricks in order to defeat you,” Emily declared. Ami scoffed, a smirk appearing on her face. “Let’s see these new tricks, Em. I’ve been waiting for this day, quite a while.”

“Show me what you got,” Emily taunted, shooting forward to meet Ami’s attacks.

Dayu appeared in the battlefield, watching the Rangers fight dozens of Moogers. She paused, hearing her Harmonium’s sad strum and scanned the area before her eyes landed on Serrator’s silhouette. 

“With this harmonium as the key, I will conquer the human world!” Serrator declared, making Dayu’s eyes go wide in anger.  _ That, son of a bitch! He had my harmonium all this time! _ She thought angrily as Dayu shot towards him. 

Suddenly Kameyo blocked her way, claws extended and swiped at her. “Sorry Dayu,” Kameyo told her. “But I cannot let you near Serrator.” 

“Let me through!” Dayu began but Dekker grabbed her shoulder. “Let me deal with her,” Dekker told her. “Go.” Dayu looked at Dekker, who summoned his Mooger sword. Kameyo raised her claws and sneered, “Oh goody. Time to deal with the cursed warrior.”

Dayu looked at Dekker and whispered, “Thank you.” She dashed past them as Kameyo and Dekker began to circle each other. “I’ll guess only one of is coming out alive, no? That’s how you fight.” 

“You’re right,” Dekker answered. “I let my sword do the talking.” 

Dayu ran towards Serrator, taking out her danto. She jumped in the air, slashing at Serrator who blocked her attack with ease. “You son of a bitch!” Dayu roared in anger. “You lied to me! You had my harmonium all this time!”

Serrator pushed her off and slashed at her leg, making her collapse to one knee. He placed his sword underneath her chin and sneered, “You’re too easy to fool, Dayu. You and Dekker have been nothing but pawns in my plans.” Dayu clenched her teeth and slashed at Serrator. The latter dodged the attack as Dayu snarled, “You’ve deceived me Serrator! We’ll see who has the last laugh!” 

* * *

The Rangers continued to fight the Moogers before noticing the Nighloks fighting each other. “Why are they fighting each other?” Kevin asked. He noticed that Jayden had finished up the Moogers and was looking at the sky. 

“Jay?” 

The Red Ranger was looking at the sky that was darkening in a blood red color. His mind was having back flashes to his dreams; the destroyed Panorama City. 

“No,” Jayden whispered, his whole body beginning to shake. 

* * *

Dayu was sent flying towards the ground, rolling to a stop. She tried to get to her feet, but collapsed too injured to continue the fight. Serrator approached her, cackling. “Your frustration tastes like sweet bitter candy.” Dayu glared at Serrator angrily and snapped, “I can only hope, that your wickedness will come back to you tenfold!” 

The wind suddenly picked up, becoming violent and causing everyone to hold their stance. 

Ami slashed at the Green and Yellow Rangers before stopping, noticing the sky turning red and the violent winds blowing around them. “Shit,” she stated, covering her face. 

Kameyo fell to the ground, too injured to continue the fight with Dekker. She also noticed the sudden shift of the scene and quickly escaped through a gap. Dekker growled in anger and went after the energy stealing Nighlok.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked Mike who shook his head. “A nightmare,” Ami replied as she took a few steps back and disappeared through a gap. “She’s escaping!” Emily yelled, trying to go after the Half-Nighlok but Mike pulled her back. 

**_Days shall become night…._ ** came a booming voice that echoed around.  **_As I escape the Netherworld…_ **

Jayden felt his heart pounding in his chest, knowing that voice perfectly well. “Who’s that?” Mia asked, grabbing Kevin’s arm. “Is that?” Kevin breathed, glancing at Jayden. The Red Ranger swallowed and looked at his Rangers. “Everyone! Get into your positions!” 

“Oh no,” Mia whispered, covering her mouth in horror. The ground began to shake and cracks appeared on the sandy ground. Rocks erupted from the ground and shot towards in front of them. 

**_To come face my enemies!_ ** **,** the voice declared.

Serrator was frozen in the spot and glanced towards the Rangers in horror. “No, it can’t be!” Dayu rolled over to watch the rocks form into a portal. “No, way!” Dayu whispered. Lightning raked the skies, landing on the rock formed portal. 

**_It can be and it shall be!,_** the voice boomed again. 

The rocks exploded, revealing the Master of all Nighloks in his full glory. 

“Master Xandred,” Jayden whispered, his eyes wide in horror as the Master of all Nighlok’s roared in anger. 

* * *

Maria rushed through the misty waters as her mind began to flash once more. She could see the portal opening, the Master of all Nighloks appearing before the Rangers. But instead of seeing her futuristic self with the other rangers, she was seeing the present. She could see the way Master Xandred was approaching the present Rangers. She could sense the fear, the terror. 

_ No! This...can’t be happening! _ , she thought in horror. She clenched her fists and rushed down the void of darkness. 

_ Tashiko!  _ Maria yelled, stopping and glancing around. She found Tashiko's spirit tied on the ground, dressed in a white gown.

Tashiko glanced up at Maria and looked at her in terror. “Maria! Help me! I don’t know what’s happening!” Tashiko told her as she tried to get up but the chains around her wrists held her down. 

Maria neared her and tried to pull on the chains but she couldn’t break them. 

_ What happened? Why are you tied?  _ Maria asked, extremely confused. 

“I don’t know!” Tashiko cried out when suddenly she gasped out, collapsing into the ground. “All these images! I can see them! I see the rangers! They’re gonna fight Master Xandred!”

“We can’t let them fight Xandred!” Tashiko screamed in fear. 

Tashiko had tears streaming down her face as she looked at Maria with pleading eyes. “Please, help me. I can’t hold on much longer.” 

Maria looked at her other self and yelled,  _ Yes you can! I believe in you! _

“But I’m scared!” Tashiko sobbed. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?” 

_ No, _ Maria replied, kneeling down towards Tashiko.  _ We will survive. We have the same purpose Tashiko. We will save the rangers  _ together _. We have to save the rangers. _

“How?” Tashiko asked, pulling on the chains. “I’m tied and weakened. You’re stuck here!” 

Maria grabbed her hand and whispered,  _ There’s only one thing left to do. _

Tashiko looked into her hazel eyes and whispered back, “What?”

_ We combine our powers to save the rangers.  _

* * *

“Red Ranger!” Master Xandred bellowed as he approached the Rangers. His skin was beginning to dry out which each step he took. He raised his hand and blasted the Rangers to the ground.

“Xandred,” Dayu gasped, making Xandred turn to glance at her. He raised his hand towards Serrator and Dayu before grunting in pain. Serrator scoffed, “His spell is weaker than before. His visit here will be short.” 

“If that’s what you think,” Xandred growled, straightening up. “Then you’re in for a surprise, Serrator.” He raised his hand once again and fired a blast at the two Nighloks at the cliff. The explosion sent Serrator and Dayu flying off the cliff, sending Dayu’s Harmonium flying through the sky. 

“No!” Serrator yelled, landing on the ground as the harmonium landed near Xandred. Dayu landed on the ground as well, seeing she was too far from her harmonium. 

Xandred began to approach the two Nighloks and snarled, “Serrator. You traitor. It’s time to end your misery.” He blasted the other Nighlok but Serrator evaded his attacks. 

“Never thought you would venture into this realm, Master Xandred,” Serrator stated. “My plan could have been perfect!” 

“You underestimated me, Serrator!” Xandred snarled as he raised his hand to blast Serrator once more. Serrator jumped away backwards and stated, “Sorry Xandred, but I don’t plan on dying today.” He disappeared before Xandred could finish him off. 

Xandred roared angrily. “You will not escape me! I will search every inch of this realm and the Netherworld! I will find you!” He clenched his teeth and spun around to glance at the Rangers that were standing there, ready to defend themselves. Xandred growled, approaching the Red Ranger but stopped when his foot stepped on an item. He lifted his foot and glanced down to find Dayu’s broken Harmonium. He picked it up and glanced at Dayu who was laid on the ground. 

Dayu was looking at him with terrified eyes as he approached her and kneeled down in front of her. “Do you want me to fix your Harmonium, Dayu?” Xandred asked coldly. Dayu swallowed and nodded slowly, wanting nothing more than her instrument to be fixed. Xandred got to his feet and ripped part of his skin before placing it on Dayu’s Harmonium. It magically got fixed making Dayu gap in amazement and whisper, “You fixed it.” 

Xandred extended his hand and helped the Nighlok to her feet. “Now that I fixed it, you know there’s a price,” Xandred stated as he offered the Harmonium to Dayu. She took it and hugged it tightly before glancing up at Xandred. “I’m at your Command, Master,” she replied, bending down to one knee. Xandred smirked at her response. “Now go to my ship, while I deal with the Rangers.” Dayu nodded before disappearing through a gap.

Xandred faced the rangers, the only thing that blocked his way for world domination. 

“I’m going to destroy you,” Xandred growled at them. Jayden quickly sat up, seeing all his friends powered down and struggling to get on their feet. He knew that if they laid there and did nothing, Xandred would end their lives. He couldn’t let them die!

Jayden got to his feet, legs shaking in effort and spat out a wad of blood. Jayden morphed into the Red Ranger, surprising Xandred. “Not on my watch,” Jayden declared. “SpinSword! Blazing Strike!” The Red Ranger shot forward, slashing at Master Xandred on his shoulder.

“Jayden!” Antonio shouted, getting to his feet and morphed as the Gold Ranger. He shot forward to help his best friend. 

Xandred didn’t waver at Jayden’s attack and only turned around to glance at him. Jayden felt fear enter his body, noticing the attack hadn't fazed Xandred. 

“Ah, the Red Ranger,” Xandred cackled, looking at the Red Ranger with annoyance. “The pathetic head of the Shiba Clan.” He grabbed the blade and spun Jayden around, slashing at the Red Ranger. Jayden staggered from the impact as Xandred attacked him again. “This is the end for you, Red Ranger!” Xandred growled, raising his sword. But before he could deliver the final blow, Antonio appeared in front of Jayden. 

“Antonio,” Jayden gasped, his eyes opening wide. 

Suddenly the dream of Antonio protecting him appeared freshly in Jayden’s mind. 

Except, this wasn’t a dream, this was reality.

_ Protect her, Jayden _ .

_ Why?! Why did this happen to us?!  _ Maria shouted at Jayden. 

_ Sorry Jay, it seemed like body moved on my own... _

“NO!” Jayden shouted as the red glow of Xandred’s sword came down on both of them. The Red Ranger was thrown towards the ground, watching as the red slash enveloped the Gold Ranger. 

Then, the clatter of the Barracuda Blade was heard. 


	33. The Broken Barracuda Blade

There was an explosion making the other Rangers cover their faces with their arms. When the dust settled, they heard the clatter on the Barracuda Blade. 

Antonio gasped out in agony, collapsing to his knees, holding half of the Barracuda Blade. His suit was sparking immensely, sparks of gold radiating from the slash mark impacted on his Ranger suit. The Gold Ranger’s suit bursted into kanji’s, revealing a severe slash that was from his shoulder all the way to his chest. His eyes were wide in pain as he clutched his bleeding chest, taking in shaky breaths. 

“Antonio!” Jayden yelled, sitting up from the ground. His green eyes were wide in fear, terror filling every fiber of his body. “Oh my god!” Emily gasped, covering her mouth in horror.

Antonio dropped into all fours, his broken weapon hitting the ground. Blood spilled into the ground as he slowly glanced at Master Xandred who gave him a smirk. 

“A pitiful servant saving the Red Ranger's life,” Xandred growled in disgust. “Pathetic. That was worthless, Gold Ranger. Now, you’re going to die first.” Xandred raised his sword once again, ready to slash at the Gold Ranger. 

Tears began to stream down the Red Ranger's face. He could imagine Antonio’s smiling face as he died. He could see the blood spurting from the wound the Gold Ranger would have. How he couldn’t save his best friend once more. Jayden was too weak to do anything but helplessly watch.  _ No _ , Jayden thought, clenching his fists.  _ I can’t let Antonio die for my sake! Especially, since I’m a fraud! _ A red glow began to surround him.

Antonio grabbed his broken Barracuda Blade and pitifully tried to defend himself. He was critically injured and couldn’t move to avoid the fatal attack. 

_ Dammit, _ he thought as he watched Xandred’s sword coming down on him.  _ I’m sorry Tashiko. I’m sorry I couldn’t see you one more time. _ He clenched his teeth angrily, tears streaming down his cheeks.  _ At least we’ll meet in the afterlife… _

“No! Antonio!” Mike yelled, his eyes wide in fear. He was going to watch his friend get killed right in front of him! Kevin tried to get to his feet, but collapsed into the ground. “Dammit!” he cursed, slamming a fist into the ground. 

Just as the sword was going to finish off Antonio, a Red streak appeared, blocking the attack. 

Jayden appeared, his sword locked with Xandred’s. The Master of all Nighlok’s snarled in disgust while Antonio gasped in shock. “Jayden! No! He’s too strong!” the Gold Ranger pointed out. Jayden clenched his teeth and yelled, “Dammit Antonio! I can’t let you die!” Antonio’s eyes went wide before the Red Ranger turned around to glance at him. “Tashiko would never forgive me if I let you die!” A white light bathed the Red Ranger, changing into Super Samurai. “Jayden…” Antonio began but Jayden pushed Xandred off his sword. “Don’t worry about me, Ant. I’ll handle him, it’s the least I can do.” The Red Ranger began to walk towards the Nighlok as Antonio watched him leave. 

The Gold Ranger noticed his best friend’s determination, knowing there was no way to change it back. 

“Please, be careful,” Antonio stated, worry evident on his voice. 

Jayden stopped and glanced at the Gold Ranger. “Don’t worry. I just have to believe I can right? After all, I’m protecting the people I most cherish.” Antonio felt his heartbreaking hearing those words from the Red Ranger, knowing those were the same words Tashiko had told Kevin. 

The Red Ranger turned back to Xandred and raised his sword. “Bravery and determination is what I need to protect them!” Jayden shot forward, fury overwhelming his body. 

Xandred could tell that the Red Ranger was furious and smirked. “So, the Red Ranger has a fire after all. Just like your fa-” He was interrupted as Jayden slashed Xandred across the chest, his Blazing Fire cutting his dry skin. 

Xandred grunted, clutching his chest. He glanced up to find Jayden attacking him once more. He blocked the Red Ranger’s sword as Jayden stated, “You’re going to pay for that!” Jayden pushed off Xandred and slashed at the Master of all Nighlok’s. Xandred blocked his attacks, struggling to keep up with the Red Ranger’s slashes. 

Jayden summoned the Bullzooka, shooting at the Nighlok. Xandred staggered as his upper body began to dehydrate, making Jayden take the chance and slash at him. The Nighlok stumbled from the attack but he raised his hand, binding Jayden with some symbols. The Red Ranger tried to break free but Xandred grabbed his sword and snarled, “Enough playing around!” He slashed at the Red Ranger causing Jayden to scream in agony as he was thrown to the ground. 

“Jayden!” the other rangers screamed. 

Jayden tried to roll over, feeling the wounds under his suit getting aggravated. 

Xandred laughed and approached the Red Ranger. “Despite the anger you threw at me Ranger, it is not enough to stop me! I’m going to kill you the same way I killed the other Rangers, slowly and painfully.” 

* * *

Hideo watched from a distance, watching the whole battle unfold. This wasn’t what he had told Octoroo. This wasn’t the plan he had created for the noodle face to recreate.  _ Bastard! _ , Hideo thought angrily. He glanced at his crystal ball that once again had cracked.  _ I guess I have no other choice.  _

Hideo couldn’t let the Master of all Nighlok’s destroy the Red Ranger. Not again! 

_ I guess it’s time for my secret weapon! _ He swung his crystal ball and smashed it against the cliffside, shattering the ball. 

* * *

Maria looked at Tashiko, who was looking at her. “Combine our powers?” Tashiko murmured. “But my Symbol Power, it’s bee-” They were suddenly bathed in a white light and their hands began to glow purple. 

“What’s happening?” Tashiko asked, looking at her hands glow. 

_ He broke the spell _ , Maria told her, looking at Tashiko in amazement.  _ Hideo broke the spell! _

Tashiko felt herself weaken and collapsed into the ground. “I feel...weak..,” Tashiko whispered as she suddenly began to disappear in purple kanji’s. 

_ No! Hold on! _ Maria told her, knowing that Tashiko was slowly dying. If she died before they could merge, they would disappear from the timeline. Even worse, erased from the timeline and cease to exist. 

_ We have to unite, Tashiko! _ Maria stated, extending her hand towards Tashiko who weakly looked at her.  _ That’s the only way we can save the Rangers! The way, we can save each other! _

Tashiko looked at Maria, not wanting to forget the memories she had created, memories she cherished. If she didn’t take Maria’s hand now, the Rangers wouldn’t remember her, hell, they wouldn’t know she had existed. 

_Take it,_ Maria replied, giving Tashiko a smile. 

Tashiko thought of Antonio and how deeply in love they were with him. She shut her eyes, tears beginning to stream down her eyes as she extended her hand and placed it on top of Maria’s. 

A bright purple light covered them both, Tashiko watching how her hands were starting to merge with Maria’s. She looked at her other self, seeing herself being reflected in Maria’s hazel eyes. “I know who I am now,” Tashiko told Maria. “I’m just an illusion of you, aren’t I? I’m not real.” 

“No,” Maria answered sternly. “We are the same. We’re just split.”

“So, what am I?” Tashiko whispered, closing her eyes. 

“We are the scabbard of the Shiba House. We are the keeper of time, the key to victory, the Samurai of Time,” Maria replied. 

The purple light grew brighter before they disappeared.

* * *

At the Shiba House, Serena was sitting down beside Tashiko’s bed before noticing the teen slowly disappearing. “Tashiko?!” Serena cried out in alarm. Tashiko looked at Serena with a saddened smile and whispered, “Thank you for everything, Serena.” 

“What’s happening to you?” Serena gasped, seeing that the teen was almost invisible now. 

“I’m accomplishing my destiny,” Tashiko answered, before disappearing completely. 

Serena’s eyes were wide when the teenage was gone, only leaving the two purple ribbons she wore on her pigtails. 

* * *

Thunder rolled across the skies as a thunderbolt landed on the mountains, illuminating the area with a bright light. Cody and Aaron glanced out their windows, catching sight of the bright purple light. “What was that?” Cody asked his father. Aaron narrowed his eyes and stated, “I’m not sure. I’m going to check it out.” He grabbed a lantern from the coffee table before grabbing his sword and headed outside. Cody, not wanting to be left behind, followed suit.

The light vanished, revealing a woman standing on the rocky ground. She exhaled, collapsing into her arms and knees, breathing heavily. She opened her eyes and glanced at the area around her, noticing she was in the middle of the mountains before getting to her feet.  She noticed the bandages around her arms and whispered, “What happened? The last thing I remember was fighting Master Xandred.” She touched her head, her mind flashing as she remembered going through the portal before slipping down the hill. “I went through the portal,” she whispered, her eyes growing wide. “I didn’t go alone, did I?”

“Not completely,” came a voice, making her spin around to face Hideo.

She gasped at the green and silver Nighlok standing in front of her. In his hands, he wielded a golden staff with a broken crystal ball on top. “You?” she breathed, getting to her feet. “What, what are you doing here?” 

“I came here to guide you,” Hideo told her, taking a step forward but the woman took a step back. “You, kept me in a crystal ball!” she began, her eyes angering. “It was for your safety,” Hideo calmly explained. “My safety?” she cried out in anger. “You intended to use me as a weapon! Forging Tashiko to your will! You are a piece of shit!” 

“Well this piece of shit saved the Rangers asses so many times!” Hideo snarled back. “And now if you don’t hurry your  _ ass _ the Red Ranger is going to die once again!” 

Her eyes went wide remembering the vision she saw while merging with Tashiko. 

“The Rangers!” she breathed. “I have to go to them!” She tried to run but collapsed, noticing the injuries she had with stood during her kidnapping. “Dammit,” she gasped, grabbing her shoulder. Hideo helped her to her feet and stated, “I think you need this.” 

The Half-Nighlok handed her a Samuraizer, her Samuraizer and a folding Zord that was inactive. “I managed to save them before Aaron took you into his home.” 

The woman glanced at Hideo, giving him a nod as a thanks. “This isn’t over. We are finishing this conversation.”

Hideo let out a laugh and stated, “I look forward to it.” 

She looked around the area, noticing the broken terrain and tree branches she hit before landing on the bottom of the mountain. She noticed the burnt marks the portal had left behind and glanced at her Samuraizer. 

Hideo noticed her hesitation and asked, “What’s wrong?” She glanced over her shoulder and said, “I don’t know how they’ll take it.” 

“Don’t worry about that,” Hideo replied, narrowing his eyes. “Go fulfill what Future Jayden wanted.” 

“Right,” the woman nodded. She threw the inactive folding Zord and yelled, “Wolf-Folding Zord!” An enormous power erupted in the area, as a bright purple light blinded them both. When the light faded, a grey wolf with purple streaks on its fur appeared, growling.  The Wolf Zord glanced at the woman letting out a playful bark and licked her owner, making the woman laugh. Immediately her wounds began to heal as the woman hugged the Zord. “I missed you too Lyall,” she whispered, petting her muzzle. “You know what to do.” 

The Wolf Zord barked, lowering herself as the woman climbed into her back. “Let’s head to the battle,” the woman declared as the Wolf Zord let out a howl. 

* * *

Rain began to steadily fall as Cody and Aaron walked down the dirt path, wondering what the purple light was. “There’s an ugly storm heading this way,” Aaron commented. He glanced at his son, noticing he was distracted in something in the distance. “Uh, dad?” Cody began. Aaron looked in the direction Cody was looking at, only to find a purple streak heading towards them. Footsteps thundered in the rhythm of the thunder before seeing a woman riding a large Wolf Zord passed by them. The two guardian’s watched in awe before exchanging glances. 

* * *

The Rangers watched in horror as Xandred walked towards the Red Ranger. “It’s the end of the line, Red Ranger.” 

Jayden coughed as he got to his feet once more. Xandred wielding his Broadsword, slashing at the Red Ranger, sending another energy wave at him. The Red Ranger raised his SpinSword in an effort to block the attack. The energy wave sliced through the sword, breaking it in half and slashing Jayden across his chest. The Red Ranger gasped out in shock, his ranger suit bursting into symbols. Blood spilled the floor as Jayden hacked, blood streaming down the sides of his mouth.

The Rangers screamed out his name, terrorized on what they had just witnessed. 

Antonio’s eyes were wide in horror, clutching his injury wondering if he had just witnessed his best friend’s murder. 

Jayden collapsed into his knees, dropping the broken SpinSword beside him. His green eyes were wide in shock, still trying to process what had just happened. He collapsed face first into the muddy ground, barely being able to move. He watched as Xandred looked at him and grunted, “Pathetic. I wonder if I should kill you know, or let you watch as I kill your servants one by one.” 

_ No! _ Jayden thought as Xandred approached the other Ranger’s.  _ Don’t kill them!  _

"Please,” Jayden rasped as he looked at Xandred. “Kill me instead.”

_ I wasn’t the Red Ranger anyways. I prefer to sacrifice myself and not my friends _ . 

Xandred eyed him, his skin drying out more as he contemplated the Red Ranger’s offer. “No! Jayden!” Kevin yelled, glancing at him in horror. The Blue Ranger was on his feet, the other Ranger’s struggling to stand as well. 

_ I’m so sorry guys _ , Jayden thought as he felt weaker by each passing second.  _ I didn’t get to tell you guys my secret… I didn’t get to tell you, that I was never the Red Ranger. _ He closed his eyes as a few tears slipped down his cheeks.  _ It hurts so bad _ . He watched as his blood began to spread around him and began to feel his strength leaving him.  _ Is this how I die? _

A large pulse of energy was felt around the area, causing the Rangers and the NIghlok to freeze in their spots. It was the same presence he felt those months back, except it was stronger than before. 

“What the hell is that?” Mike asked as Emily grabbed his hand. “I don’t know,” Kevin answered as he felt a bead of sweat slide down the side of his head. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to face it.” 

“Do you think it’s a Nighlok?” Emily asked, swallowing nervously. 

Thunder roared across the sky, rain beginning to fall. 

A lightning bolt appeared, slamming into Xandred sending him flying towards the cliff side wall. “Master Xandred!” Octoroo cried out in alarm. 

The Ranger’s turned to glance at the purple blur, revealing to be a large wolf with purple streaks. The Samurai Emblem was located on her left shoulder, indicating it was a Zord. 

“What is that?” Mia asked, her eyes widening. “It looks like a Zord,” Kevin answered. 

The Wolf Zord growled at the Nighlok who got off the wall to face the newcomer. 

A figure jumped off the Wolf Zord, letting a soft thud and stated, “Seems like I’m a bit too late.” 

“And who are you supposed to be?” Xandred snarled, glaring at the figure. 

The dust settled to reveal a young woman with a purple sleeveless qipao-style blouse with a black combat skirt. She had white high knee boots and her raven hair flew around her, dancing with the wind. Her face held three familiar claw marks and cold, angered, eyes. 

“I’m going to be your destruction,” she answered. 


	34. The Purple Samurai Ranger

The rain continued to fall harder as the Rangers looked at the the scene in disbelief. Master Xandred curled his lip upwards and stated, “You? My destruction, I don’t think so.” 

The Rangers looked at the woman, shock evident in their faces. “That’s….” Mike gasped, his eyes wide in shock. “That can’t be,” Mia whispered. Kevin couldn’t believe his eyes on what he was witnessing. 

The woman narrowed her eyes and raised her hand. A SpinSword manifested in her hand and raised it towards her face. 

“Get ready!” Kevin told the others, getting into a defensive stance. “We don’t know what she’s capable off!” 

“But that’s Tashiko!” Emily declared, looking at Kevin in disbelief. “I know but that’s probably not the same person we know!” Kevin answered, staring at the Yellow Ranger. 

The Blue Ranger glanced back at the woman who was readying herself to attack.  _ Something seems off about her _ , he thought.  _ Like if her power duplicated tenfold. Her presence overwhelms me greatly and I know the others can feel it too. _

“SpinSword,” the woman spoke, her chilling voice sending shivers down the Rangers spines. “Lightning Blade!” Her SpinSword glowed purple, vibrating with lightning energy. She shot forward, her SpinSword, drawing back to strike Master Xandred. 

Xandred raised his Broadsword, the blade glowing red before clashing with the Purple Ranger’s sword. Black lightning shot off the two metal blades as the two glared at each other. 

“Whoa,” Mike whispered. “Incredible,” Kevin murmured. 

Xandred clenched his teeth and growled, “I now know what you are, human. I heard of your kind. You were banished from the Samurai Clans.” 

The woman gave him a smirk. “Good to know the Nighloks know of my reputation.” 

“You’re the Purple Samurai, the Samurai of Time, the Lightning ranger,” Xandred growled. “That’s right,” the Purple Samurai replied. “I’m going to be the one to end you.” 

The Master of all Nighloks pushed the Ranger off, jumping backwards as he powered up his sword. “You’re just another pest to deal with! You will perish, just like the others!” Xandred swung in two arcs, sending the energy waves at the Purple Ranger. 

The raven haired woman auto morphed into her Purple Ranger suit, her helmet showing the Lightning kanji as she powered up her SpinSword again. “SpinSword! Lightning Kamas!” Her sword exploded into purple kanji’s transforming her sword into two kamas with purple ribbons. The Purple Samurai caught both kama’s, the ribbons tying around her arms. She threw one towards the Rangers, teleporting towards them as the energy waves hit the cliff behind her. 

Xandred clenched his jaw and powered up his Broadsword. “If you won’t perish, then the Red Ranger will!” He swung his sword towards Jayden, a red energy wave making its way towards the Red Ranger. “Jayden!” Emily screamed worriedly. The Purple Ranger saw the energy wave too close to Jayden.  _ I’m not going to make it! _ She took out her Samuraizer and drew out a Symbol. “Symbol Power! Time Freeze!” 

A purple light covered the area, freezing everything in sight. The Purple Ranger landed on the ground before disappearing and reappearing beside Jayden. The Red Ranger was barely moving and was badly injured.  _ Dammit! _ The woman glanced at Lyall and said, “He’s still alive but barely holding out. We need to take him away from the battle.” The Wolf Zord barked, taking the Red Ranger and placed him on her back. The Purple Ranger could feel time slowly moving once more. “Run away!” 

Time moved once more, just as the energy wave clashed towards her. 

There was an explosion causing the Rangers to scream in horror. “Jayden!” Emily yelled. “Dammit!” Kevin yelled, running towards the explosion. 

Xandred smirked in satisfaction, knowing with that attack, the Red Ranger was done for. “Red Ranger down, five more to go.” 

“Bastard!” Mike snarled, summoning his SpinSword. “You’re going to pay!” 

“Do you think it would be that easy?” came a voice. 

The dust cleared, making the Rangers skid the ground to reveal a bloodied Purple Ranger. A wound that was across her chest was slowly healing back and glanced at Xandred. 

“How is that possible?” Mia asked, glancing at Kevin. “Tashiko had the ability to heal, remember?” Kevin replied. “It must be one of her additional powers.”  _ Damn, the Purple Ranger is extremely strong. _

“Impossible!” Xandred snarled, finding the Purple Ranger still standing. He raised his hand and stated, “I’m going to kill you the same way I killed the Red Ranger!” The Purple Ranger spun one of her kama’s around and declared, “No. Time to put  _ you _ out of your misery.” She threw her Lightning Kama at Xandred, making him catch it. 

“Nice try, Purple ra-” 

The Purple Ranger appeared in front of the Nighlok, slashing his chest with her other Lightning Kama. “Lightning Slash!” Xandred roared in agony, letting the kama go as he staggered back. The Purple Ranger landed on the ground, skidding the ground and taunted, “Oh no. Seems like you’re drying out Xandred.” 

She spun around her Lightning Kama, ready to attack again when Octoroo ran out of his hiding spot. “It’s time for you to sit down!” Octoroo stated, wielding his staff. He fired at her, making the Purple Ranger divert the attack with her Lightning Kama and glare at the noodle faced Nighlok. 

The Nighlok grabbed Master Xandred and pulled him to the nearest gap. “Oh ah oh! We must go before you completely dry out!” Octoroo commented, eyeing the Purple Ranger. Xandred roared angrily and snarled at the Rangers, “This isn’t over! Moogers! Finish them off!” 

With that, Xandred and Octoroo disappeared through a gap, getting replaced by Moogers instead. The Rangers instantly morphed and fought the Moogers back. The Purple Ranger watched them fight back the Moogers before glancing behind her, seeing Lyall taking Jayden away in the distance. The raven haired woman swung her kama around, hoping to teleport away but a blue arrow hit her hand, making her drop her weapon. 

“That was a warning shot,” came a voice. 

The Purple Ranger clenched her teeth angrily before hearing footsteps. She glanced towards the Rangers who were morphed and ready to attack her. 

“Where’s our Red Ranger?” Kevin commanded. 

The Purple Ranger glanced at the Blue Ranger and stated, “I am not your enemy.” 

“How’d we know that?” Mia asked. 

“If I were, I would have let Jayden die,” the Purple Ranger responded.

“We can’t trust you,” Mike declared. 

“The last time we trusted a Purple Ranger, she almost got us all killed,” Kevin replied. “So if you would cooperate, we would like our Red Ranger.”

“Don't worry about Jayden if I were you,” the Purple Ranger pointed out. “I’ll take good care of him.” 

“What?” Mia gasped, raising her sword. 

“ I’m not taking him back to the Shiba House,” the Purple Ranger told them. “His injuries are too grave to be treated properly there.” 

“You can’t take him away!” Emily yelled.

“Watch me,” the Purple Ranger threatened, turning away from them. 

“You!” Kevin snarled, shooting forward, his sword withdrawn. 

In a blink of an eye, the Purple Ranger had blocked his attack with one of her kama’s. The other was located near Kevin’s side, ready to plunge into his neck. “If I were you, I would be more worried about how the Gold Ranger is doing,” the Purple Ranger commented. “He hasn’t moved for a while.” 

The Rangers perked at this, the Green Ranger turning around to see that the Gold Ranger was laid on the ground. “Antonio!” Mike yelled, rushing towards the Gold Ranger. The Purple Ranger watched him go before glaring at Kevin. “If I were you, I would follow the Green Ranger. Or else, you would have Antonio’s death on your hands, Blue Ranger. Imagine what would the Samurai Clan think, that the great, second right hand of the Red Ranger, let one of their Samurai die for a wild goose chase.” Kevin clenched his jaw before pushing the Purple Ranger off. 

“Good riddance,” the Purple Ranger told him as she made her kama’s disappear. “Don’t worry. We will meet again real soon.” 

When the Blue Ranger had blinked, the Purple Ranger was gone. “You let her go?” Mia exclaimed, grabbing Kevin by the arm. “Don’t worry,” the Blue Ranger told the Pink Ranger. “We will find her. Right now we have another matter at hand.” Kevin turned to look where Mike and Emily were kneeled down beside Antonio. 

* * *

The Rangers rushed into the Common Room, carrying Antonio. Ji and Serena had received the Ranger’s call about Antonio being critically injured and had prepared the infirmary. “This way,” Serena told Kevin and Mike who walked after the older Ranger. Ji glanced around before noticing Jayden nowhere to be seen. “Girls, where’s Jayden?” Mentor Ji asked, looking at the Pink and Yellow Rangers. The two Rangers glanced away before Mia said, “The Purple Ranger took him.” 

“What?” Ji exclaimed. “Ami? Ami took Jayden?”

“No,” Mia whispered, shaking her head. “The _real_ Purple Ranger.”

* * *

Antonio was laid on an infirmary bed, breathing heavily as the Blue and Green Ranger’s surrounded him. Serena checked his injury seeing how serious it was before looking at the two Rangers. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He’s in pretty bad shape. I need Ji in here now.” 

“I’ll get him,” Kevin nodded, rushing out the infirmary. 

The Yellow Ranger rushed around the infirmary, shouting at the Green Ranger to help her while Ji arrived. 

_ Antonio, don’t give up _ , came a soft voice. 

The Gold Ranger through half-closed eyes, saw Tashiko standing beside his bed. Her raven haired was in two ponytails, purple ribbons tying them. She wore a white lucent dress making her look like a beautiful angel. “Tashiko?” the Gold Ranger whispered, raising his hand towards the teen. She took his hand and said,  _ Fight Antonio, fight. You need to stay alive. _ “Why?” Antonio murmured.  _ She promised me that you would live _ , Tashiko replied.  _ Don’t let her sacrifice be in vain. _

“She? What are you talking about?” Antonio asked her.  _ She did it, didn’t she?  _ Tashiko continued with a smile.  _ She saved you all. _

“Tashiko,” Antonio began but Tashiko silenced him as she kissed his forehead.  _ I know there’s a lot to talk about, but right now, focus on fighting to live. _ The Gold Ranger felt a few tears slip down his cheeks. He didn’t know why he had started to cry, but the way Tashiko was speaking to him, felt awfully strange and heart wrenching.  _ Don’t cry. We will see each other soon. Rest now. _ She faded away making Antonio cry out her name. 

Then everything went black. 

* * *

Octoroo watched as Master Xandred sank into the depths of the Sanzu River to begin his healing process. “Dammit,” Octoroo murmured. “Xandred is so dried out, who knows when he’ll come back.” 

“What a shame,” came a sly voice.

Octoroo turned around to find Serrator walking towards him. Beside him where the Nighlok’s Ami and Catyasu, who looked like they had soaked in Sanzu River water themselves. 

“Serrator!” Octoroo growled angrily. He turned his staff in his hands and pointed it at Serrator, ready to shoot at the Nighlok. Serrator raised his hand and sly said, “Do you really think you’re in a position of attacking me? Right now you are weakened without Master Xandred. And neither you, or anyone else can stop my plans.” 

Octoroo clenched his jaw, knowing what Serrator was telling him was true. He was only one Nighlok. The rest of the Nighlok’s wouldn’t follow Octoroo without Xandred by his side. The pesky Nighlok’s only went to the strongest warriors and followed them blindly into battle. He lowered his staff, knowing he couldn’t beat Serrator by himself. Octoroo turned back to the deck, slamming his hand in it. “Dammit! NO!” 

Serrator smirked at this and placed his arm around Octoroo’s neck. “Now, no one can stop me from advancing my plans in cracking the Earth in two. The human world will be mine.” 

* * *

After Antonio had been tended in the infirmary and Mentor had a cup of tea in his hands, the others went to check out Tashiko’s room. Serena had told the other Rangers that Tashiko had disappeared during their battle with Master Xandred. 

“So this is what’s left?” Emily asked as she picked up one of the purple ribbons. Serena gave a nod, making the Yellow Ranger look at the ribbon sadly. “She disappeared,” Serena told the Rangers. “She just told me that she had a destiny to fulfill.” 

“Yeah, in taking Jayden who knows where,” Kevin growled. “Right now, she’s become the enemy.” 

“I doubt she would become the enemy,” Mike sighed, shaking his head. “She just probably thinks what she did was for the best. She thinks differently than we do.” 

“If you don’t think taking Jayden, isn’t being our enemy, you're dead wrong,” Kevin spat, grabbing Mike by the shirt. 

“Hey! Everyone chill out!” Serena began, pulling the Blue and Green Ranger’s apart. The Blue Ranger snorted angrily and spun around, leaving Tashiko’s room. Mia shrugged apologetically and left the room to go after Kevin.

Emily looked at the ribbon in her hand before closing it, holding into the purple ribbon tightly. “Does anyone know why she took him?” Serena asked, looking at the Green Ranger, who was fixing his shirt. “I don’t know,” Mike replied. “She said something about us not being able to heal Jayden in the Shiba House.” 

“Mentor is distraught that Jayden’s gone missing,” Emily murmured. 

Serena nodded, “I know, hopefully we will find our answers soon. Right now we can only hope that she knows what she’s doing. The Purple Samurai has been said to have been sneaky and traitorous.” The older Yellow Ranger sighed and stated, “I would hate if Tashiko became someone we would have to face as an enemy.” 

Emily zoned out as Serena continued to talk, glancing out the window, praying that Jayden would be back soon. 

_ Please Jayden, be safe. _

* * *

The Purple Ranger appeared at the opening of a cave, slowly glancing around before hearing footsteps behind her. She didn’t turn around, knowing very well who it was. “You came,” she asked the person behind her. 

The figure stepped out from the shadows, revealing Hideo who was hidden behind the bushes. “I will always come,” Hideo replied, changing into his human form. “What do you need me for?” 

The Purple Ranger side glanced at the Half-Human and said, “I have the Red Ranger.” 

“What?” Hideo gasped, his eyes opening wide. “Did you just kidnap Jayden from the Rangers? That’s not a very good first impression Mari!” The Purple Ranger turned around to face Hideo and said, “Right now, I don’t care. Jayden is near the brink of death. I need you to come with me to  _ Iyashinomizu _ .”

Hideo’s eyes widened more and whispered, “That exists? I thought that cave was a myth.” 

“It isn’t,” Mari replied, turning to the cave opening. “It’s real, but only I have the way in. Let’s go. Jay doesn’t have much time. Lyall is already inside.” 

Hideo nodded as the Purple Ranger extended her hand towards the Half-Nighlok. He took her hand as she led him into the cave, the protection spell rippling around them. 


	35. Healing

Kevin stormed towards the Common room, heading towards the coffee table. He opened the map, showing Panorama City and snarled, “She has to be nearby! She couldn’t have gone far!” The Pink Ranger ran towards him and stated, “Kevin, calm down.” 

She gently touched his shoulders and declared, “Kevin, we will find them.” 

Kevin turned around to face the Pink Ranger and yelled, “How do you want me to calm down? We don’t know where our Red Ranger is! This person, this Purple Ranger took him and we were helpless to stop her!”

Mia glanced at the ground sadly. “We were beaten badly, Kev. So was he.” 

“And we were taken advantage of,” Kevin spat, glaring at her. “I was taken advantage of.” He glanced back at the map that was on the coffee table. “I was stupid enough to let her go.” 

“No,” Mia shook her head, making Kevin glance at her. “She had you in a tight spot. She was ready to kill you if you made a move.” 

“I shouldn’t have let myself fall into that position!” Kevin began, raising his voice. 

“Enough,” came a voice, making both Rangers turn around to see Mentor Ji facing them. “If you say that a Purple Ranger took Jayden, we might have a bigger problem in our hands.” His face went grim and said, “I want you to gather the others here immediately.” 

“We have a lot to discuss.”

* * *

_ She glanced at him, her eyes searching his face as he looked at the destruction that was once Panorama City. Most of the city was flooded with red waters and Nighloks walked around freely in the city. “This was once such a beautiful city,” he declared, grief evident in his voice. “It has caused us such grief and destruction.”  _

_ He turned to face the blonde haired woman beside him, her brown eyes filled with worry. She knew he was going to do something stupid, but didn’t question his decision.  _

_ Sakura flowers began to float down the city making the blonde haired woman reach out and grab one. “Even in destruction, there is beauty,” the man told the blonde haired woman. Emily looked at the Sakura flower before showing it to Jayden, who took it from her hands.  _

_ The Red Ranger held it up to the raven haired woman that was standing on his right side, who watched him in silence. “I remember the time you once told me that you saw me holding a Sakura flower in one of your dreams,” Jayden told the raven haired woman. Her hazel eyes flashed and stated, “Yes and I also said that meant you’re accepting your destiny, to whatever it may be.”  _

_ Jayden’s green eyes went dull for a moment as he looked at the Sakura flower that was in his hands. “Yes, my destiny,” he whispered, making the raven haired woman side glance at him. “I know what it is.” Emily’s eyes narrowed and pressed her lips, worry flashing in her eyes. “My destiny is to lead us to one final battle. The final effort to win against the Nighlok.”  _

_ “What?!” Emily cried out, looking at the Red Ranger in horror. “You can’t! This, this can’t end like this!” She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see the raven haired woman’s hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, knowing there was no way to change the Red Ranger’s mind. Tears began to slip down the Yellow Ranger’s cheeks as Jayden crushed the Sakura flower in his hand. “Don’t be afraid Emily,” Jayden told the Yellow Ranger. “We are Rangers. We are the last hope of this rotten world.”  _

_ Jayden summoned his SpinSword, seeing that in the distance, Master Xandred was approaching them. “My destiny is to die an honorable death.” _

* * *

Jayden’s eyes snapped wide open, glancing around in panic. He quickly sat up and instantly regretted it when he felt a shot of pain go through his body. Jayden grabbed his chest in agony, panting before noticing that his wound was bandaged. The Red Ranger also noticed that he wasn’t in the Shiba House, instead, he was in a cave. 

It was huge, with its walls twinkling like the stars in a night sky. The ceiling was filled with stalagmites and a waterfall silently cascaded from a small water hole that ended in a large pool of blue-green water. A dying campfire slowly burned in front of him, telling him that he wasn’t alone.  _ What happened? _ Jayden thought, touching his head. 

His mind flashed back to fighting Master Xandred.

_ It’s the end of the line, Red Ranger. _

_ Jayden raised his sword, the energy wave Xandred had sent him, slicing his SpinSword in half. He felt the slice cut through his chest, blood erupting from his wound.  _

_ How he laid there, weakened, his blood spreading around him as he awaited his death.  _

_ Is this how I die? _

“Oh, you’re awake,” came a voice, interrupting his thoughts. 

The Red Ranger quickly spun around to find two people standing near the cave opening. The man that was standing next to another figure, had ruffled hair that was shoulder length long. Scars were crossed across his face and had gentle green eyes. “Hello Jayden, it’s been a while.” 

“Who are you? Where am I?” Jayden asked, quickly standing up, but winced as his injury flared. “Sorry,” the man stated, laughing nervously as he scratched his head. “I guess this is the first time you’ve seen me in this form.” He glanced at Jayden before changing into his Nighlok form, a green and silver Nighlok with wings. 

“Hideo?” Jayden gasped, his eyes widening. 

“The one and only,” Hideo answered, changing back into his human form. 

“Why am I here?” Jayden asked, confused. “Where am I? Where’s the others?” 

“Well, aren’t you full of questions today?” Hideo chuckled. “You’re here due to the beating you took from Xandred. It almost killed you. The water in this cave has healing properties and is able to heal any grave injury.” 

Jayden touched the bandages around his chest and said, “That’s why I’m here.” Hideo gave him a nod and his smile disappeared. “Your injury was too grave to be healed at the Shiba House. If we didn’t take you here, you would have died.” 

Jayden clutched his chest and glanced at the ground, remembering Xandred’s slash. “What about the others? Are they injured as well?”

“The others seemed fine,” Hideo answered, kneeling down as he grabbed a bowl and mixed some herbs. “The one that looked the worst was Antonio, but his injury seemed more treatable than yours.” 

“Do the Rangers know I’m here, with you?” Jayden asked, looking at the Half- Nighlok. 

“No, and it’s best they don’t know you’re here,” came a different voice.

The Red Ranger turned around to look at the other figure that was approaching them. 

The woman had raven hair reached all the way to her waist. Hazel eyes that were cold instead of the warm he knew. She was taller, almost to the height of Mike and looked older than  _ her _ . She gave the Red Ranger a smile and declared, “You’re safe in  _ Iyashinomizu,  _ the Cave of Healing Waters.” 

“Tashiko?” Jayden gasped, his eyes wide in shock. 

The Purple Ranger shook her head and said, “I’m not Tashiko. My name is Maria Abukara, the Purple Samurai Ranger.” 

* * *

The Rangers were all gathered in the Common Room, wondering why Ji had asked them to gather. 

Serena walked in, seeing the Rangers looked tired with a grim look in their faces. She sat beside Emily, quietly wondering what was going to happen. 

Mentor Ji walked in the room before placing an old dusty book in front of the coffee table. The Rangers glanced at the book before looking at their Mentor confused. “What is this?” Kevin asked puzzled, picking up the book. 

“You’ve all said that a ‘Purple Ranger’ took Jayden,” Mentor Ji told the Rangers. “Yes,” Mia answered. “She wielded two kamas and could use the element of Lightning.” 

“She also had a large Zord that looked like a Wolf,” Mike added. 

:She could ride it, that’s how she came and saved Jayden,” Emily murmured. 

“She could transform into a Samurai Ranger,” Kevin nodded before his eyes narrowed. “Just like Ami.”

Emily winced, remembering the Half- Nighlok that tortured her. She doubted that Tashiko would have turned into that monster. 

Mentor Ji sighed and stated, “I need to make a confession.” The Rangers looked at their Mentor in alarm. “I was afraid it would come to this point,” he continued. “What do you mean?” Serena asked, raising an eyebrow. “Back when Aaron told me he had found Tashiko and learned that she dreamed of the Rangers, I began to suspect she was special. She was an oddity I’ve never encountered before. She began to exhibit healing powers and could wield the element of Lightning.” 

“Antonio exhibited powers of Light despite not being from the main clans,” Serena pointed out. “Except, Tashiko, is being assumed she’s from one of the main clans,” Mentor Ji replied. “What?” Kevin asked, getting to his feet. “That’s impossible! There’s only five clans!” 

“There’s actually six, isn’t there?” Mike interrupted, making the Rangers glance at him. The Green Ranger took the book from Kevin’s hands and waved it in front of their Mentor. “The Akubara Clan, the real second hand of the Red Ranger until the Tengen Gate and the Five Samurai Clans decided to banish the Purple Rangers from any connection to the other clans.” 

Mike narrowed his eyes. “All because Akiko Akubara turned back time to save her friends.” He threw the book back on the table and growled, “Akiko had foreseen the Rangers death and couldn’t accept her friends dying in battle. She watched in horror as her friends died one by one by Xandred. She couldn’t bare the burden that she was the only one standing and used her powers to turn back time.”

“When the dead was done, the Rangers had known what she had done. The remnants of the original timeline surfaced in their minds, knowing they had died but Akiko had changed their fate. She was banished from the Tengen Gate and the Shiba House. 

“How’d you know that?” Mentor Ji asked, narrowing his eyes. “Ever since you gave me Tashiko to train, I grew curious,” Mike answered. “I accidently bumped into this book and gave it to Tashiko to read. She told me all about the Purple Samurai Rangers and how Akiko had been banished.” 

“I want to know why it was so bad for her to save her friends!”

The Rangers glanced at Mentor, noticing the tension that was beginning to build up. 

“The Purple Rangers aren’t a force to be reckoned with,” Mentor Ji growled, growing defensive. “There are extremely powerful warriors!”

“If they are, why banish them?” Serena asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to have them in our ranks?”

“You don’t understand,” Ji declared. “Their Symbol Power is almost in level with the Shiba Clan. They have powers to manipulate time and lightning.” 

“Messing with time can send ripples through a timeline!” 

“Why are so afraid?” Mike pressed, glaring at their Mentor. 

“He should be afraid,” Kevin answered, glancing at Mike. “This Purple Ranger took the Red Ranger, disappeared from the infirmary without a trace. She could’ve tricked us like Ami!” 

“Don’t compare Tashiko with Ami!” Emily cried out, getting to her feet. 

“She is treating us the same way she is!” Kevin answered back. “Laughing at us behind our backs! She took Jayden away and we have no clue where he’s at and what she wants with him!”

“She’s Tashiko!” Emily declared, tears brimming her eyes. “She cares for us! She saved us multiple times!”

“She’s not the same girl you know!” Kevin spat at her. “She is probably the same monster Ami is!”

There was a smack, Emily’s hand hitting Kevin’s cheek. 

There was a stunned silence from the Rangers. “You’re such a jerk!” Emily cried. “You out of everyone should be grateful! She saved you from leaving the Shiba House!”

The Yellow Ranger stormed out of the room, with Mike quickly running after her. The other Rangers looked away uncomfortably before Serena sighed, “There’s a limit where you can say something bad about a person before hearing their story first. You can’t make assumptions.” 

The Yellow Ranger turned around and left the room. The Blue Ranger glanced at the table and quietly stated, “We need to find her in order to find Jayden.” 

The Pink Ranger glanced after the other Rangers before letting out a sigh. “Let’s just get this over with before we break apart. 

* * *

“What?” the Red Ranger spluttered in shock. “You remembered?”

“That’s right,” the Purple Ranger answered. “I am Maria Abukara, the Purple Samurai Ranger of the year 2020. Where the Samurai Rangers failed in defeating the Nighlok.” 

“Failed? What do you mean?” Jayden asked, confused. His heart was beginning to pound in his chest, feeling a longing ache that he already knew the answer. 

“Tell me Jayden,” Maria asked, kneeling down to glance at Jayden with cold hazel eyes. “How sure were you that I was the Purple Ranger?” 

The Red Ranger narrowed his eyes and declared, “Absolutely sure.” 

“I figured,” Maria grinned. “You were right about me. You somehow knew that I was the Purple Ranger all this time.” 

“Because of all the dreams I had,” Jayden pointed out. “I saw you every time.” 

“Exactly,” Maria nodded, getting to her feet. “You remember how you suffered day after day, screaming helpless about those horrible nightmares you had?”

“How everyone, had been exterminated like insects in an apocalyptic future, that had destroyed all of Panorama City? The pain to know how everyone you knew was  _ dead _ and you were helpless to stop it?” 

Jayden gave a grave nod. “Yes, I always ended up screaming awake.” He glanced at the Purple Ranger and asked, “What does that have to do with you?” 

Maria laughed lowly and declared, “It has to do  _ a lot _ with me.” 

“What do you mean?” Jayden asked, slowly getting to his feet. 

“Think about it Jayden,” Maria told him, turning around. “An apocalyptic future, that there’s no hope. And then boom! A Ranger that escaped towards a purple light, gone from that terrible world...” 

“It was you,” Jayden realized, his eyes widening. “Those weren’t dreams, but memories.  _ Your _ memories.” He staggered back from the shock and whispered, “So all of that will come true? We are destined to fail?” 

The Purple Ranger sighed, her smile disappearing as she looked into the pool of water. “Only if we let it be. I came here to avoid all of the destruction because Future Jayden told me too. He told me that only together, as one, can we defeat the Nighlok. Something my Rangers lacked…” 

“How could you live like that?” Jayden whispered, looking at the Purple Ranger. “All that destruction and death?” 

The Purple Ranger closed her eyes, the voices of her friends echoing in her mind. “By letting my heart grow cold to shut away all these feelings,” Maria answered. “Shut away all the emotions so I can’t feel that suffering once again.” 

“Shutting away your feelings like that isn’t good,” Jayden told her sadly. “Believe me, I try, yet my emotions always creep back at me.” 

“No, Jay, once you see what I've seen, you grow so cold, you can’t remember the last time you felt an emotion,” Maria murmured. “Every death you begin to see, a part of you dies. Until you’re an empty shell of your former self.” 

“Is that what you’re now?” Jayden asked her. “An empty shell?” 

Maria glanced at the Red Ranger. “Rest Jay, we have much work to do later,” she replied, changing the subject. She walked away from the two other men, disappearing at the mouth of the cave.

* * *

Antonio slowly blinked his eyes open, finding himself in the infirmary. He groaned, noticing that lately he was spending more time there than any other place of the Shiba House. “You’re awake!” came a voice. 

The Gold Ranger turned his head to find the Green Ranger getting to his feet. “Mike,” Antonio murmured, breaking into a faint smile. “How are you feeling?” Mike asked, walking towards him. Antonio touched his chest, feeling a dull pain that was barely noticeable. “Better,” Antonio replied, clenching and unclenching his hand. “How long was I out?”

“A while,” the Green Ranger replied with a sigh. He crossed his hands across his chest, causing the Gold Ranger to glance at him. “How’s Jay?” Immediately the Green Ranger grew nervous and stated quietly, “We don’t know.” 

Antonio frowned and sat up. “What do you mean,  _ you don’t know? _ ” 

“What he means, is that we don’t know because he isn’t here at the moment,” came another voice. 

Serena walked into the room, holding a few items in her arms. She looked at the Green Ranger and said, “The others are waiting for you. I’ll stay with Antonio.” 

The Green Ranger gave a nod and left the room without a word. The confused Gold Ranger looked at the older Ranger who looked at him with a fake smile. “Don’t worry about it, just rest.” 

“What’s going on?” Antonio interrupting her. “How’s Jay? How’s Tashiko? Why is everyone acting strange?” Serena sighed, knowing that there was no way to hide the truth from the Gold Ranger. 

“A lot of shit has happened Antonio,” Serena began, her smile disappearing. “We don’t have all the answers to the questions you want answered.” “Serena, don’t beat around the bush, tell me what’s going on,” Antonio insisted, clenching his fists. 

Serena glanced away and stated, “We don’t know where Jayden is because the Purple Ranger took him and we don’t know where he is at.”

“Ami,” Antonio growled, narrowing his eyes. 

“No,” Serena shook her head. “Another person. We’ve been searching for almost a week and no sign of him. And Tashiko….she’s….gone.” 

Antonio felt his heart drop and whispered, “What?” 

Serena shook her head, not knowing the answer to his question. 

“How?” Antonio whispered, raking a hand through his hair. “I saw her, she was there when I was half conscious. She was there, telling me to fight for my life.” Serena looked at him sadly and said, “She disappeared before we could do anything. We don’t know what happened to her either.” She approached him and took his hands, making him glance at her. She could see tears welling up in his eyes and sighed, “I’m sorry.” 

Serena squeezed his hands before she left the room. Antonio noticed that she had left something in her hands and looked at the purple ribbon, the same ribbon Tashiko wore in her pigtails. 

The Gold Ranger let out a shaky breath, his fingers enclosing around the ribbon. “Dammit!” he whispered. “Dammit!” 

Now there wasn’t ever going to be a chance to tell Tashiko how he really felt. 

How he wished he was able to change back time, wishing so he could tell Tashiko how he felt before she was gone.


	36. The Search

Serena walked back to the infirmary a few minutes later to bring some food to Antonio. “Antonio, I’ve brought some food,” she told him, opening the door to his room. She dropped the plate when she saw the bed empty. “Oh no,” she whispered, walking backwards and leaving the infirmary. 

Outside, the Rangers were preparing to leave. “Alright,” Kevin began looking at the Rangers. “We’re going to search the east quadrant of Panorama City. The Purple Ranger shouldn’t have left the city, so she has to be here somewhere.” 

“Dude, we’ve searched almost the whole city and there hasn’t been any sign of them,” Mike told the Blue Ranger. “We can’t give up,” Emily told him. “We need to find them to get some answers.” 

Suddenly, a horse whinnying caught the attention of the Rangers, before hearing the clatter of hooves coming closer to them. They saw a white horse galloping towards them, making them dive to the sides. 

The Samurai Rangers rolled to their feet seeing the War Horse race out of the gates. “What was that?” Mia asked, startled. “I don’t know,” Kevin answered, shaking his head. 

“Guys!” Serena yelled, catching their attention. The Yellow Ranger reached them and gasped out, “Antonio! Antonio left the Shiba House!” 

“Well there’s your answer!” Mike stated sarcastically. “Dammit Antonio!” Kevin growled before looking at the Rangers. “Let’s find him before he does something stupid!” 

Serena watched the Rangers mount their horses frantically before grabbing Emily’s hand. “I’m coming too!” The Yellow Ranger looked at her older sister and nodded. “Let’s ride together,” Emily told her.

Antonio glanced back to find the Rangers getting on their War Horses, ready to go after him. He turned around and clenched the rein tighter. 

_ If they can’t find Jayden, then I will! _

* * *

Maria appeared inside of Iyashinomizu carrying items to cook some food. 

During the last days, the Red Ranger had rested in the cave, healing himself with the cave's water. He was training by himself, trying to grow stronger.

Right now, after an intense training with Hideo, he rested near the waterfall, meditating. 

Maria placed the items on the ground before approaching the Red Ranger and crossed her arms across her chest. “You know, I think it’s time for you to return to the others.” The Red Ranger slowly opened his eyes and grimly replied, “I know, but I can’t go back. You out of everyone should know that.” 

Maria clenched her jaw and stated, “I knew that once I shared who I really was, there was a chance you would act like this. But despite knowing your  _ secret _ , your Rangers need you and you need them.”

“I can’t go back to them,” Jayden replied, turning to glance at her. “I failed against Master Xandred, I failed in the future, what chance do I have? I’m not even the real Red Ranger!” 

“But you’re their leader and their friend!” Maria declared. 

“And what good does it do for them?” Jayden spat, getting to his feet to glare at her. “I was almost killed! I couldn’t even protect them!” 

There was a stunned silence making the Purple Ranger look at the Red Ranger wide eyed. She could see the tears welling up in his eyes and starting to slip down his cheeks. The Purple Ranger glanced at the ground and whispered, “Jayden, you out of anyone should know how  _ my  _ Rangers failed. My Rangers weren’t as united as yours. My Rangers drifted apart over the years, and that was their weakness. Do you want your Rangers to drift apart because you decided to be weak? To sulk in the shadows while they risk their lives to save the world?” 

“They’re the true Rangers,” Jayden told her, his green eyes flashing. “I’m just a shadow of the Red Ranger.” 

“A shadow that kept them together over the years,” Maria spat back. “You’re the anchor that has kept these Rangers together. Don’t make the same mistakes my Red Ranger did. Don’t let them drift apart because you lost your confidence. Go back to them and be the leader they need.” 

Jayden looked at the Purple Ranger and growled, “I’m just not strong enough.” 

“You’ll never be strong enough if you do this by yourself,” Maria pointed out. “Don’t let this be a burden you carry by yourself. Trust in yourself. There’s a reason  _ you  _ sent me here from the future.”

Jayden glanced at her sadly, wondering how the innocent Tashiko had turned into this wise battle ridden warrior. “Thank you,” the Red Ranger told her. 

Maria nodded and turned around. “Now then, I bet you’re hungry.”

* * *

Antonio threw more wood on a small campfire he had constructed to keep himself warm. He petted his War Horse, who let out a soft whinny before continuing to eat the grass on the ground. The Gold Ranger watched the fire in front of him before looking at his hand. Tashiko’s purple ribbon slowly moved with the gentle wind, making Antonio sigh. He wished that everything that had happened lately, would just be a nightmare. 

The Rangers were broken, the Red Ranger was missing and Tashiko was even dead. 

Antonio closed his eyes, hoping that once he opened them, he was back in the Shiba House. He would find Tashiko training with Mike, Jayden training by himself, the girls laughing together and Mike and Kevin messing with each other. He opened his eyes, finding in disappointment the campfire instead. 

Antonio sighed, knowing it was a lost hope to a fake dream. Jayden was still missing, Tashiko was gone and the Rangers were probably frantically looking for him. 

Suddenly there was a snap of a tree branch, causing the Gold Ranger to bring his guard up. He took out his Samuraizer and glanced around for any sign of trouble. He heard a swoosh, making him turn around to find the glint of a sword cutting across his arm. 

The Gold Ranger jumped back, dropping his Samuraizer in an attempt to transform, only to find a cool blade underneath his chin. 

His War Horse neighed in terror, galloping away from the scene. The Gold Ranger tried to move but heard a familiar voice state, “Try to run, Gold Ranger, and I’ll finish you off.” 

“Dekker,” Antonio growled, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want?” The Half-Nighlok smiled and sarcastically said, “What do you think Gold Ranger? I want to know how the Red Ranger is doing. I heard he took quite a beating.” Dekker eyed the Gold Ranger, smirking, when he noticed his bandaged chest and right arm. 

“And so did you.” 

“We all did,” Antonio answered, his blood boiling. “Don’t you think I’ll spit out information for you Dekker. I won’t backstab my friends for you.” 

Dekker chuckled quietly and stared right into Antonio’s chocolate brown eyes. “Even though I have information about that wannabe Ranger? What was her name? Tashiko?” 

Antonio’s eyes went wide and breathed, “ _ What? _ ” 

“Oh, you don’t know, do you?” Dekker inquired, letting out a dark chuckle. 

“She’s dead!” Antonio spat out angrily. 

“Is that what they’ve been telling you?” Dekker grinned slyly, making the Gold Ranger frown. 

“What do you mean?” Antonio asked. 

“That wannabe Ranger isn’t dead, Gold Ranger,” Dekker sneered. “She’s very well alive.”

* * *

After the two Ranger’s finished eating, Hideo appeared in the cave. “Hello Jayden, Maria,” the Half-Niighlok told them, walking towards them. “How are you this fine evening?” 

“Better,” Jayden replied, getting to his feet. “I’m going to train some more.” The Red Ranger left the Purple Ranger and the Half-Nighlok by themselves, making Hideo look at the Purple Ranger. “He looks better,” he told her. “Changed his mind?” 

“He better,” Maria replied, glancing at Hideo. “We cannot let these Rangers divide themselves. We cannot let this timeline fail as well.” The Half-Nighlok gave a nod in agreement and said, “The Rangers are growing desperate. I think the way you introduced yourself to them, wasn’t the correct one. They see you as their enemy now.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Maria declared. “I’m not written in this timeline. Right now I am an anomaly.”

“You’re a trump card for them,” Hideo nodded. “But that can come with great consequences. You entered a timeline uninvited.” 

“Right now, we shouldn’t worry about that,” Maria replied, looking at Hideo. “They’re always too slow to notice.” 

“Yes, but this time it was a one way ticket,” Hideo told her. “You didn’t tell him that you cannot go back to the future, did you?” 

Maria narrowed her eyes and didn’t reply. 

“I thought so,” Hideo sighed, glancing at the Red Ranger. “They will notice that you cannot return.” 

“Drop the subject Hideo,” Maria growled, glaring at the Half-Nighlok. “We need to worry about the Rangers first. I’ll worry about myself later.” 

The Purple Ranger left the cave, making the Half-Nighlok sigh. 

* * *

Antonio’s eyes went wide and shook his head. “You lie.” 

Dekker chuckled and looked at the Gold Ranger right in the eyes. “Really? I doubt a dying warrior would tell me such lies.” 

Antonio clenched his jaw and spat, “Who told you?” 

“Does it matter?” Dekker declared. “She told me she saw a warrior wielding the power of Lightning. Her hair long, raven colored, with a purple qipao shirt and black battle skirt. Held the weapons of two kamas with purple ribbons.” 

The Gold Ranger glanced at the ribbon he held in his hand and clenched it tightly. There was no way Tashiko would be alive. 

“Kameyo also told me that Hideo and Uragiri held a deep secret. With her dying breath she told me how Hideo knew the young girl before she “appeared”. Hideo took the girl’s memories and sealed her powers away in an attempt to save her.” Dekker laughed once more and stated, “It seems that Half-Nighlok didn’t have the intentions in helping her, instead, wanting to wield her as a weapon. Uragiri does want the satisfaction of killing her in the most painful way. Just like I want the satisfaction of a worthy duel with the Red Ranger.” 

“You’re crazy!” the Gold Ranger spat at him. What kind of nonsense was that?

“Think what you want, Gold Ranger, but you know what I say, holds some truth,” Dekker told him. The Gold Ranger grabbed the blade that was near his neck, despite cutting his hand and slammed a kick on the Half-Nighloks chest. 

Dekker staggered from the impact as the Gold Ranger took off running into the forest. 

Antonio had the intentions to find Jayden by himself, not get killed by Dekker. 

_ Dammit! _ Antonio thought, knowing he had dropped his Samuraizer.  _ Now I can’t get help! _

* * *

The Rangers had stopped by a river to let their War Horses drink, seeing the sun beginning to set. Darkness was blanketing Panorama City, the Rangers growing desperate with no signs of Jayden, Antonio or the Purple Ranger. “I’m exhausted,” Mike stated as he petted his horse. “Same here,” Emily yawned tiredly. “Still no sign of anyone,” Serena sighed, glancing at the Blue Ranger. 

“We’ll try again tomorrow,” Mia declared, seeing everyone’s tired faces. 

Suddenly they heard a noise and turned around to find Antonio’s War Horse, galloping in panic. “Whoa!” Kevin yelled, trying to calm the horse down. He grabbed the reins and slowly raised his hand, trying to relax the panicked horse. The white horse slowly calmed down, panting in horror. “Is that a War Horse?” Mia asked, approaching the Blue Ranger. “Yes it is,” Kevin answered, petting the horse. 

“It has a golden emblem,” Emily noticed, seeing the saddle on the horse's back. “It’s Antonio’s,” Mike whispered, causing the Rangers to look at him. 

The Rangers exchanged worried glances, making Kevin state, “He’s in trouble if his horse ran away spooked.”

“We need to find him. Now.” Serena nodded, hoping on Antonio’s War Horse. 

The others nodded as well and rode their horses into the forest.

* * *

Antonio panted as he kept running, hearing how Dekker was close behind him. He turned around, only for the ground to give away from his feet. He yelled in alarm as he rolled down the hill and landed painfully on the ground. The Gold Ranger quickly got to his feet once more, looking around to find a place to hide. His chest was hurting from Xandred’s attack, his fingers were sliced from grabbing the blade and his arm ached from Dekker’s slash. 

“Gold Ranger, where are you?” Dekker called out, his voice echoing the forest. Antonio glanced around before hiding behind some trees. He tried to steady his breathing as he watched Dekker, in his Nighlok form, look around for him. 

“Gold Ranger, you are drying my patience,” Dekker told him. The Half-Nighlok walked dangerously close to where Gold Ranger was hiding, making Antonio close his eyes, hoping Dekker would leave. 

Suddenly his back exploded in pain, the tree trunk he was leaning against groaning as it collapsed into the ground. The Gold Ranger was thrown face first into the ground, his back bleeding as Dekker approached him.

“I told you not to run,” Dekker growled, his red eyes flashing angrily. “I wasn’t finished, Gold Ranger.” 

“Really?” Antonio cockily replied, trying to get to his feet. “Because you looked finished to me.” Dekker snarled, raising his sword to slash at the Gold Ranger, when there was a growl. 

A wolf appeared, its jaw opened, its teeth baring at Dekker. It was huge, taller than Dekker, grey with purple streaks. The Samurai emblem was on her left shoulder as the wolf’s hackles raised, glaring at Dekker with beady black eyes. “What is this?” Dekker asked, glancing at the Gold Ranger. “Is this your new toy?” 

The Gold Ranger was looking at the wolf confused before Dekker raised his sword once more. “Even with this new toy, I will get rid of you!” Dekker snarled, swinging his sword at him. The Wolf Zord shot forward, clamping her jaws in Dekker’s arm. Dekker yelled in agony, trying to shake off the Zord off his arm. He grabbed the Wolf Zord by the neck and threw her against a tree. The Wolf Zord slammed against the trunk and landed on the ground, whimpering in hurt. 

“No!” Antonio yelled, seeing the injured animal. “Since you don’t cooperate, I have no other choice but to finish what Xandred started,” Dekker growled. He raised his sword once more, making the Wolf Zord throw back her head and let out a howl.

* * *

The Rangers continued to ride on their horses, deep into the forest, before Kevin halted his horse. “Whoa!” he called out, making the other Rangers stop. “What’s up Kev?” Mike asked the Blue Ranger, who got off his horse. 

The Blue Ranger walked from the Rangers before kneeling down. He picked up an item and turned around to show it to the Rangers. 

It was Antonio’s Samuraizer.

“Oh no,” Serena murmured, as the Rangers exchanged worried glances. “Now how are we going to find him?” 

“I think we should focus on actually finding him,” Mia replied. “He’s in more danger if he can’t transform.” 

“Mia’s right,” Kevin nodded before tossing the Samuraizer to the Green Ranger. “Try to see if the plants can find a clue-” 

The Wolf Zord’s howl interrupted him, making him turn around towards the direction the sound was coming from. “What was that?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow. “A wolf,” Serena stated, glancing at the Rangers. “And not just any wolf,” Kevin growled. “It’s the Purple Samurai’s.” The Blue Ranger quickly rushed towards his horse, and hoped into him, grabbing the reins. “Let’s go!” 

The Blue Ranger’s horse galloped towards the direction the howling was coming from. The other Rangers followed behind.

* * *

Antonio summoned his broken Barracuda Blade in an attempt to block the attack, when suddenly there was a bright purple light. 

The Gold Ranger heard the clink of swords clashing before he uncovered his eyes to find a woman standing in front of him. Her raven hair reached her waist and wore a purple qipao shirt with a black battle skirt. In her hands she held a SpinSword, blocking Dekker’s fatal shot. 

Dekker’s lip curled upwards and growled, “You.” 

The woman gave him a smirk and declared, “You sound like you know of me.” 

“I’ve heard stories about you, Purple Ranger,” Dekker replied dryly. “It’s an honor to finally meet the one who took the Red Ranger.” 

Antonio took a sharp inward breath, hearing this and slowly got to his feet. “So you’re the one who took Jayden.” 

The woman froze, hearing the Gold Ranger’s voice but didn’t turn around. 

“You’re the Purple Ranger,” Antonio continued, glancing at her. “Where do you have Jayden?” 

“Yes, Purple Ranger, where do you have the Red Ranger?” Dekker sneered, pushing against her sword. The Purple Ranger pushed Dekker away from her sword and jumped back. 

“I have nothing to say to you, Nighlok,” the Purple Ranger declared. 

“Then tell me!” Antonio yelled at her. “Tell me where the hell Jayden is!” 

“Or what?” the Purple Ranger declared, her back towards the Gold Ranger. “Are you going to fight me with that broken blade of yours?” 

The Gold Ranger flinched back and clenched his teeth. “I will fight you in order to make you tell me where Jayden is.” 

“Fight me?” the Purple Ranger scoffed, lowering her sword. “I doubt it.” 

“Face me, and you’ll see,” Antonio told her, getting into a fighting position. The Purple Ranger wielded her sword beside her before taking a step back and turned to face the Gold Ranger. 

Immediately Antonio’s eyes widened and whispered, “No.” He dropped his Barracuda Blade in shock and took a step back. “You, you’re supposed to be dead… You…”

But he couldn’t deny what he was seeing. The raven hair, the hazel eyes, the three scars in her face that Jayden had inflicted when he was a werewolf. 

“Tashiko…” Antonio gasped. “You’re Tashiko…” Tears welled up in his eyes and yelled, “How are you alive? Serena told me you were dead! That you vanished! How could you leave us without a word?” 

“Because this person in front of you isn’t Tashiko dear,” came another voice.

A gap opened revealing Ami and a few dozen of Moogers, surrounding the Gold and Purple Rangers and Dekker. Immediately, the Purple Ranger clenched her teeth, seeing her nemesis. The Gold Ranger quickly got to his feet, grabbing his broken Barracuda Blade. 

“Uragiri,” the Purple Ranger growled, narrowing her eyes. 

Ami smirked and began to laugh. “Seems you’re not the idiot of Tashiko anymore. Welcome back to hell, Maria Abukara.” 


	37. Rangers vs Half-Nighloks

Antonio glanced between the two women, confused on what was happening. “What do you mean, Maria?” Antonio asked, glaring at Ami. 

The Half-Nighlok looked at the Gold Ranger before glancing at the Purple Ranger. “Oh? So, he doesn’t know yet. Seems like he still thinks you’re Tashiko-san, doesn’t he?” Maria narrowed her eyes and tightened the grip on her SpinSword. 

Ami chuckled, finding Maria’s reaction amusing. She glanced at the Gold Ranger and pointed at the Purple Ranger. “This person here, Gold Ranger, is not the Tashiko you once knew. She is the warrior of destruction, a cold hearted warrior, a _killer_. She lied to you and used you Rangers. She was never once that sweet, innocent warrior you thought you knew.” 

“Isn’t that the same thing you did, Ami?” Antonio shot back, his eyes darting back and forth between the two women. 

“Cocky, aren’t we?” Ami sneered at the Gold Ranger. 

“Alright Gold Ranger,” Maria told Antonio, who glanced at her. “You want to make this one out alive?” Antonio narrowed his eyes and stated, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Do you want to know where Jayden is?” Maria told him, glancing into his brown eyes. “Of course!” Antonio grunted. “Then you’ll have to trust me,” Maria replied. Antonio gave her a concerned look before the Purple Ranger asked, “Do you trust me?” 

“I’m growing impatient Uragiri,” Dekker declared, glaring at the Half-Nighlok. “Are we going to find the Red Ranger or not?” 

Antonio watched the two Half-Nighlok converse and looked at the Purple Ranger. She had the same beautiful hazel eyes Tashiko once had, with that playful glint… 

He gave a nod, making Maria nod back at him.

“Patience, Dekker,” Ami told the latter before glancing at the Purple Ranger. “We will draw the answer out of this bitch.” 

“In your dreams,” Maria stated, grabbing Antonio’s arm. The Gold Ranger glanced at her in alarm as she took out her Samuraizer. Ami’s eyes opened wide and ordered, “Don’t let her cast the-!”

“Time Freeze!” Maria shouted, as a purple glow blanketed the area. 

Antonio covered his eyes before uncovering, finding everything frozen in place. “Whoa, what, what happened?” he commented, looking at the Purple Ranger. “It’s my Time Symbol,” the Purple Ranger told him. Antonio noticed that she was still grabbing his arm and narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to let me go?”

Maria glanced at him and snickered. “Unless you want to suffer the same fate.” Antonio looked at the others that were frozen before snorting, “I don’t trust you.” “You don’t have too,” Maria replied. “Come on, we must get out of here, now.” 

Antonio gave a nod as the two Rangers fled the area. 

Time moved back to normal, making Ami scream out in rage. “Find them!” she roared at the Moogers. She turned to Dekker and snarled, “They should've gone far. Let’s go!”

* * *

The War Horses galloped into the forest before stopping, finding Moogers swarming the area. “Rangers!” Kevin told them, getting off his horse and took out his Samuraizer. The Rangers stopped behind him, hopping off their horses. 

“That’s a lot of Mooger activity,” Serena commented, looking around the area. “We need to find out why they’re here,” Kevin told the Rangers. “Spread out but don’t stray too far.” The other Rangers nodded, morphing into action. Serena was about to head out, but Kevin grabbed her arm. “Wait,” he ordered her, glancing ahead of them. 

Serena looked at the Blue Ranger before looking at his direction, seeing Dekker approaching them. “Dekker,” Serena gasped, her eyes widening. 

“Hello Blue Ranger,” Dekker declared, swinging his sword by his side. “It’s been a while.” 

Serena morphed into the White Samurai Ranger while Kevin morphed into the Blue Samurai Ranger. “I guess we have no choice huh?” Serena commented, swinging her sword to her side. “If we run, he’ll kill us,” Kevin replied, clenching his jaw.

* * *

Maria and Antonio stopped after running for a while, making Antonio grab his arm in pain. “Dammit,” the Gold Ranger spat, grabbing his arm. “I’m slowing us down because of my injuries.” 

The Purple Ranger scanned the area before looking at the Gold Ranger. “It’s fine, it seems we are safe for now.” She approached him and stated, “I can heal your injuries, if you’ll let me.” 

Antonio looked at her, examining her face, seeing that she was being sincere. He blushed embarrassingly, seeing that he couldn’t feel angry at her. She had the same sympathy and charisma Tashiko had. “Um, okay,” Antonio nodded, his face beet red. 

The Purple Ranger didn’t say anything but kneeled down where he sat and touched his injured chest. Immediately, the Gold Ranger felt his pain ease away, along with the slash he had on his forearm and his back. The Gold Ranger watched the Purple Ranger avoid his glance before letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry,” he stated, making the Purple Ranger glanced at him. 

She blinked confused before saying, “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who should be.” Antonio glanced at the ground and sighed. “I’m sorry I approached you aggressively, before asking your side of the story. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” The Purple Ranger’s eyes grew wide in shock before glancing away. “I’m sorry as well. I should’ve trusted you Rangers but I was scared…” 

Antonio looked at her, seeing her crestfallen face. “Why?” 

“Because she doesn’t trust any of y’all with her secret!” came a hiss. 

Instantly, the two Rangers got to their feet, finding Ami approaching them with a sneer. “Tell him who you really are, Maria Abukara. Tell him how you’re from an apocalyptic future! How you’re the Samurai of Destruction and how you left the future Rangers to die to come here running into the past!” 

Antonio clenched his jaw and stated, “I don’t believe anything you say unless it comes out from the Purple Ranger’s mouth!” 

“Is that so?” Ami growled, shooting towards the Gold Ranger. 

Antonio summoned his Broken Barracuda blade blocking her attack. Ami noticed his injuries and laughed, “Don’t worry. I’ll make this as painless as possible!” She drew her right hand back, extending her claws and tried to stab the Gold Ranger. 

She stopped as the Purple Ranger’s Lightning Kama stabbed her back, making her scream out in agony. Antonio smirked, getting out of Ami’s way and said, “I may not have a complete blade, Ami, but that doesn’t mean I’ll fight alone!” 

“That’s what you think!” Ami stated, raising her claws once again at him but were blocked by Maria’s other Lightning Kama. “Don’t forget about me,” Maria told her. “I didn’t forget about you!” Ami replied, grabbing the Purple Ranger by the throat and slammed her into the ground. Maria was caught off guard by that, gasping for air. 

Antonio shot forward, yelling, “Barracuda Bite!” 

The Gold Ranger dashed around, slashing at the Half-Nighlok with quick rapid slashes. He skidded the ground and turned to look at Ami, finding her laughing. “Do you really think that dull blade will injure me?” 

“A dull blade that has no bite!” Ami screamed at him. 

“That was just a distraction,” Antonio told her, making Ami gasp before turning around to find Maria’s Lightning Kama slashing at her rapidly. “Lightning Dance!” 

The Half-Nighlok yelled in sheer pain before dropping to her knees, panting.

Maria wrapped her ribbons around her arms and looked at Ami in anger. “Pathetic,” she spat at her. “All talk but no fight.” 

Ami’s eyes went wide in anger, hating how she mocked her like that. “You think I’m all talk, don’t you?” Ami cackled, getting to her feet. “I’ll show you the true horror I can be.” 

“Symbol Power! Whirlwind!” Wind surrounded the half-Ranger, throwing Maria off her and Antonio into the ground. The Purple Ranger got to her feet once more, her hazel eyes burning in hatred. 

Ami spun around, getting into a fighting stance. “Are we really going to fight, Maria? You know that Lightning is weak against Wind.” 

Her brown eyes flashed and declared, “Do you want another beating?” 

“I’m going to destroy you,” Maria answered her. “Really now?” Ami replied, raising her claws before shooting towards the Purple Ranger. Maria raised her kama, blocking her attack. “You as well as I know, now each other's weaknesses!” She pushed Ami off her kama, spinning around slashing at her. “Lightning Kamas! Lightning Dance!” 

Ami staggered back, injured from her quick and deadly slashes. “Do you think with that weak attack, you’ll defeat me?” Ami summoned a katana and snarled, “Your attacks do nothing to me!” 

Maria converted her Lightning Kama back to her SpinSword, blocking Ami’s slash. Sparks flew around them as the two women attacked each other. 

Maria was beginning to take the upper hand, easily and surely pushing Ami to her limit. “Damn you!” Ami shouted, noticing that she was slowly getting tired while Maria seemed to have gaining more speed. “Lightning is faster than Wind, Ami!” Maria growled, slashing Ami’s chest open. The Half-Nighlok staggered back, touching her injured chest before noticing Maria dashing forward towards her. Ami ripped off one of the small gauntlets from her neck and threw it at Maria’s face. 

Immediately the Purple Ranger tripped, dropping her SpinSword, screaming in agony. 

Ami began to laugh hysterically and shouted, “You may be fast but you don’t have the element of surprise!” 

Maria touched her face in agony. Ami had splashed her face with Sanzu Water and was burning her face. “Do you feel it Maria? Do you feel the agony? That’s what I felt when I fell into the river!” Ami shouted. She kicked Maria into the ground, who tried to get to her feet but Ami slammed a foot into her back. “That pain you’re agonizing, is the same I felt while I drowned in that river. The water that was slowly killing me! Poisoning me!” 

Ami slammed her foot once more into Maria’s rib, making the Purple Ranger gasp in pain. “And you didn’t give a _shit!_ ” 

“We couldn’t risk losing Kevin!” Maria cried out, glaring at Ami. “You know that if we sent Kevin after you, we would lose you both!” Ami clenched her jaw and grabbed her katana, driving it into Maria’s shoulder, causing her to scream. “That’s how I felt when I saw Kevin’s face while I was being dragged by the river! You selfish bitch!” Ami shouted, turning into her human self. 

Maria shakingly glanced at Ami, seeing that tears were forming in her chocolate brown eyes. They slipped down her scarred face and whispered, “You don’t care what others feel! You only care about the timeline! You could’ve turned back time and saved us all!”

Maria spat, “You know that even I don’t have that much power!” “You had the power and you didn’t!” Ami shouted back, removing the katana from Maria’s shoulder. “I have rules to follow! If I changed the timeline, there would have been dire consequences!” 

“And where did that get you? A destroyed timeline! Everyone died and you didn’t lift one finger to change it!” Ami screamed. Her eyes opened wide when she noticed that the wound her katana had done was healing. “Bullshit!” she whispered, taking a few steps back. Ami looked at Maria who looked shaken and weakened, but she noticed the burned marks hadn’t healed. “That doesn’t keep you down! Then this will!” 

Ami was about to shoot forward but Antonio slammed into her, pushing her away. Ami skidded the floor while the Gold Ranger helped the Purple Ranger to her feet. “Are you okay?” he asked her, worriedly. “I’m fine,” Maria answered. “We need to get you out of here,” Antonio told her, seeing her badly injured. 

“You’re not going anywhere!” Ami yelled, extending her claws at them. The Gold Ranger pushed the Purple Ranger out of the way, making Maria land on the ground painfully. The Purple Ranger spun around to find Ami’s claws stabbing through the Gold Ranger. 

“NO!” Maria screamed, her hazel eyes wide in horror. The Gold Ranger slowly turned to look at her, a sad smile in his face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, as a dark light began to envelop him.

* * *

Tears slowly slipped down her cheeks as a dark light shot out around them, sending a ripple of energy around the forest. 

The Blue and White Rangers were ready to slash at Dekker when a dark energy sent them flying to the ground. 

Dekker skidded the ground as well, glancing at the direction the energy wave had come from. 

Kevin and Serena got to their feet, confused and startled. “What was that?” Serena asked, getting to her feet. “I don’t know,” Kevin replied, his eyes wide in horror. 

On the other side of the battlefield, Mia was standing in the middle of the battlefield, dead Moogers surrounding her feet. 

“What do you think that was?” Mike asked the Pink Ranger. “I don’t know,” Mia murmured, turning to the Green Ranger. “I have a bad feeling,” Emily told them, touching her chest. Her face was scrunched up in worry and looked at her friends in concern. 

* * *

The light dispersed, revealing Ami, standing alone, laughing maniacally. She touched her cheek, crackling at what she had done before glancing at Maria. “That was easier than I thought! I knew he still had feelings for that bastard of Tashiko! He couldn’t resist in saving you!” 

The Half-Nighlok looked at the Purple Ranger who had her head down and was slowly clenching her hands into fists. A purple hue manifested around her, lightning crackling around her. 

“What an idiot!” Ami continued. “Never knowing what he really was! The perfect key in destroying this perfect timeline!” 

“Bastard!” Maria roared, glaring at the Half-Nighlok and got to her feet. “What’d you do to him?!” She extended her hand, her Lightning Kama appearing in her hand. She shot forward, lightning crackling behind her as she slashed at Ami. 

The Half-Nighlok summoned her SpinSword, blocking the attack, cackling. “What I should’ve done the moment I came here into the past! I know what he is now!” 

Ami leaned towards Maria’s ear and whispered, “A key!” 

Maria snarled at her, spinning around slashing at Ami with her Lightning Kamas. Ami blocked her attacks with ease and yelled, “Yes Maria! Feel the rage I felt seeing Kevin die!” 

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” Maria roared, her hazel eyes burning in hatred. “Unless I kill you first!” Ami shot back, pushing her off with her SpinSword.

* * *

Hideo watched Jayden train intensely, making him sigh in nostalgia. What he would give to wield a SpinSword again, feel the power of the Samurai running through his veins….

Suddenly a pain shot through his chest, causing him to gasp out. 

Jayden stopped mid slash, hearing the Half-Nighlok gasp out in pain and turned to look at him. “Hideo?” he asked, seeing that he was grabbing his chest in pain. “Is something wrong?” 

Hideo grabbed his chest, feeling an ache that something had gone wrong. “Yes, I-I felt something,” Hideo replied, looking at the Red Ranger.

Instantly, the Red Ranger’s face turned grim and made his SpinSword disappear. “What’s wrong? Is it Maria? The Rangers?”

“I don’t know,” Hideo answered, his face furrowed in worry. “We need to go to them, now.” 

The Red Ranger gave a nod and stated, “Let us leave then.” 

Hideo nodded and grabbed Jayden’s arm. “I’ll teleport us there.” 

“Right,” Jayden nodded as Hideo waved his scepter around them, disappearing in a swirl of magic.

* * *

Dekker swung his sword in front of him, readying himself to fight the Rangers once more. 

Kevin and Serena panted in exhaustion from fighting him and there were no signs of him getting exhausted. 

“This is getting boring Blue Ranger,” Dekker declared, narrowing his eyes. “You’re not like the Red Ranger.” 

His eyes flashed and stated, “I should just finish you off.” 

Kevin steadied himself and got ready to attack the Half-Nighlok when there was a bright light. There was the sound of two swords clashing, making Serena gasp out, “Jayden!” 

The Blue Ranger’s eyes went wide, seeing the Red Ranger in front of him, blocking Dekker’s attack. “Jayden! You’re alright!” Serena continued in relief. 

“Sorry to worry you,” Jayden told them over his shoulder, giving them a smile. He turned around to face Dekker who smiled. “Well, well, Red Ranger. It’s about time you showed up.” Jayden pushed Dekker off and swung his sword in front of him, ready to fight. 

Mia, Mike and Emily, rushed towards them, smiles appearing in their faces when they saw Jayden. “Jay!” Mike called out. “He’s okay!” Emily smiled.

Hideo scanned the area, counting all the Rangers before noticing that one was missing. “Where’s Antonio?” 

“What a great question!” came a voice. 

Ami appeared in between Dekker and Jayden, looking like she had seen better days. In her hands, she held a SpinSword, causing the Rangers to look at her in horror. 

“Is that…” Kevin began, his eyes wide in shock. “It’s a SpinSword,” Mia replied. “But the blade...it’s black.” Serena narrowed her eyes at the Half-Nighlok and tightened her grip on her SpinSword. Ami glanced at them, seeing the faces they were giving her. “I bet you’re wondering why I have this, don’t you?” Ami smiled before showing off the blood stained blade. 

“Is that blood?” Mike whispered, his eyes wide in horror. 

“Rangers blood to be exact,” Ami laughed, throwing the blade at the Red Ranger’s feet. Emily gasped out and covered her mouth in terror, while the other Rangers brought up their guard. 

“Have fun figuring it out,” Ami winked. She turned to Dekker and declared, “The job is done. Let’s go.” The Half-Nighlok narrowed his eyes before lowering his guard. “Till next time, Rangers.” 

She and Dekker disappeared through a gap, before Jayden picked up the bloodied sword. 

“Antonio,” Jayden whispered, his teeth clenching in anger. 

Hideo noticed an item in the ground and picked up the inactive form of the Wolf Zord. “Oh no,” he breathed. “Maria…” 

The Red Ranger noticed what Hideo had in his hands and rushed into the forest. 


	38. The Truth

The Rangers rushed through the forest, following the Red Ranger who was frantically searching for the Gold and Purple Ranger. 

Mike scanned the area, before skidding the ground, feeling the plants weakened. “Mike?” Emily asked, finding Mike staggering to stand. “The plants,” Mike stated, touching his head as the Rangers glanced at him. “There, there’s some dark residue hovering on them.” “Where?” Hideo asked worriedly. “Over here,” Mike pointed to the right of them. 

“Let’s go then!” Kevin told the Rangers, who nodded. 

The Rangers continued to run before abruptly stopping. 

“No,” Hideo gasped out, shaking his head in horror. 

“Maria!” Jayden yelled out, rushing towards the Purple Ranger, who was leaning against a tree. The other Rangers exchanged confused glances before following their Red Ranger. 

The Red Ranger skidded the floor and carefully touched the Purple Ranger, who was unresponsive. “Maria?” Jayden whispered, his green eyes wide in horror. Hideo approached him and brushed away Maria’s bangs. 

Her face was burned from what looked like Sanzu River water and blood streamed down the sides of her mouth. A stab wound was in her chest, blood soaking through her purple qipao shirt. 

“Why isn’t she healing?” Jayden asked Hideo, who clenched his fists in anger. 

The other Rangers approached them, their faces horror stricken. Despite being uneasy with the Purple Samurai, even she didn’t deserve this. “She’s so much like Tashiko,” Mike whispered. Emily kneeled down beside Jayden and grabbed her hand. She was cold to the touch and was barely breathing. “Why isn’t she healing?” Emily murmured, looking at the Rangers. “Was it because Lyall was hurt?” She remembered how the Wolf Zord was injured while they fought. 

“Ami must have stabbed her, with that...sword,” Hideo spat, looking at the sword that the Red Ranger had in his hands. “The Black SpinSword,” Serena nodded, taking the sword from the Red Ranger’s hands. “It must have been bathed in Sanzu water,” Hideo noted. “That’s the Purple Ranger’s weakness. She cannot heal being poisoned with Sanzu water.” 

“The burned marks in her face do tell she was poisoned,” Mia declared, kneeling down as well. “Is she dead?” Emily asked, tears brimming her eyes. “She doesn’t have much time,” Mia told them. “I’m afraid that I can’t heal this,” Hideo told them. “My magic can only do so much.” 

“But I know what can,” Jayden declared, picking up the Purple Ranger. He turned to Hideo and declared, “We have to go to Iyashinomizu.” 

“Iyashinomizu?” Kevin echoed confused. 

“Maria prohibited anyone else from entering Iyashinomizu,” Hideo protested. “Maria right now is in danger and I can’t leave my Rangers here either,” Jayden replied. 

Hideo looked at the Rangers before letting out a sigh. “Fine, but if she gets mad, it’ll be your fault.” 

Jayden gave a nod before Hideo waved his staff around, teleporting the Rangers to Iyashinomizu. 

* * *

At the shores of the Sanzu River, Ami threw a Mooger sword in the air before catching it. She watched as Serrator spoke to the other Nighlok about being the new Master of Nighloks. She wasn’t interested in his boasting and opted to be in the shore instead. 

“Growing impatient?” came a voice, making her turn around to find Dayu walking towards her. Uragiri turned away from her and spat, “What are you doing here?” 

“Can’t a woman go for a walk?” 

Dayu’s snarky response made Ami curl her lip upwards. “What Uragiri? Are you bored now that you finally killed your nemesis?” Dayu cockily replied. “Or are you unsatisfied?” 

Ami stopped throwing the Mooger sword in the air and glanced at the Half-Nighlok. “Why are you caring so much on how I feel?” Dayu strummed her harmonium and gave her a smirk. “I don’t. I just find it amusing that you look angrier than usual, especially that now you ‘killed’ your nemesis.” 

Ami tightened her grip on the Mooger sword and growled, “Are you doubting that I killed her?” “I didn’t say that,” Dayu scoffed, a smile creeping on her face. “Do _ you _ ?” 

The Half-Nighlok broke the Mooger sword in her grip before storming away from Dayu, who only giggled. “Oh Uragiri, you still don’t have the strength to kill her. What a shame.”

* * *

Jayden waded into the water with the Purple Ranger in his arms, while the other Rangers watched silently. 

“I don’t get it,” Kevin murmured to the other Rangers. “Why is Jayden caring so much for the person who took him away from us?” 

“We don’t know his side yet,” Serena replied to him. “We don’t know what happened.” 

“I doubt Tashiko would want to harm him,” Emily continued. “She might have approached this the wrong way,” Mia sighed, looking at the Rangers. “But we don’t know the reasons why.” 

The Red Ranger watched as the Purple Ranger floated in the healing waters before sighing. “I know what you must be thinking the worst of her.” 

The Rangers looked at the Red Ranger confused. 

“She didn’t harm me,” Jayden began, looking at the Purple Ranger. “She saved me. After the battle of Xandred, she brought me here, to Iyashinomizu. The waters here, healed me from the brink of death.” 

“But why keep hidden here for so long?” Kevin declared. “A call wouldn’t have hurt!” Jayden flinched at the Blue Ranger’s accusation, knowing he had every right to. 

“You worried us to death,” Serena told him. “We were worried you were dead.”

“You were in a very bad shape and you didn’t tell us you were alive at least,” Mia murmured. 

“I apologize for that,” Jayden replied, turning to face the Rangers. “Ever since that fight, I was afraid..”

“Don’t you think we were afraid as well?” Emily shakingly replied. “We were terrified. We had just witnessed a horrible beating by Xandred’s hand. We thought we were all going to die!” 

The Red Ranger glanced at the Yellow Ranger but turned away, not being able to bear the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. He noticed the harm his friends had suffered for his cowardice and whispered, “I’m so sorry. I was afraid that you wouldn’t see me as your leader. I couldn’t even protect you!”

“I failed horribly as the Red Ranger,” Jayden continued.    
  
“Then we failed horribly as your followers,” Mia told him. “We were beaten to the ground while you continued to stand and fight. We laid on the ground, helplessly, while you fought for your life. We have failed as well.” 

The Pink Ranger stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Even though our confidence wavered, we never gave up in trying to find you. We knew that you were still alive. We never once gave up on that thought because we know our leader would always come through.” 

The Red Ranger looked at Mia, who had tears in her eyes as well and smiled. “She was right. I was a fool in thinking you would give up on me.” 

“How can we give up on our leader?” Kevin stated, crossing his arms across his chest. Jayden smiled at this, seeing how the Rangers still saw him as their leader and their friend. “Just don’t ever do that again,” Serena told him, lightly punching him in the shoulder. “If you ever lose your confidence, confide in us.” 

Jayden rubbed his shoulder and nodded, “Noted.” 

The Rangers laughed, relief flooding their bodies before going silent, seeing the Purple Ranger. 

“So what’s her story?” Mike asked the Red Ranger. “It’s Tashiko right?” Mia pointed out, making Jayden nod. “Yes, she remembers who she is,” the Red Ranger sighed. 

“Who is she? I mean we know she’s the Purple Ranger,” Mike continued. “She’s from the future,” Hideo interrupted, making the Rangers forget he was there. The Half-Nighlok got to his feet and walked towards the Rangers. “So am I.” 

“Wait,” Serena shook her head in disbelief. “You and the Purple Ranger are from the future?” 

“How’s that even possible?” Emily added, her eyes wide. 

“The Purple Ranger could manipulate time, remember?” Mike told her. “That’s how she probably made it here to the past.” 

“That is correct,” Hideo nodded, feeling uneasy in agreeing with his ‘past’ self. 

“Why are you here then?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow. He still felt uneasy with the Purple Samurai and didn’t know if he could trust her just yet. 

Hideo glanced at the Purple Ranger, who was still unconscious. “I wanted Maria to tell you this, but it looks like this may not be the case.” He looked at the Rangers and beckoned them to sit on the ground with him. The Rangers complied, sitting in a circle and looked at the Half-Nighlok who clenched his staff tightly. 

“Maria and I come from the year 2020, eight years into the future,” Hideo began. “Where the ruling of Master Xandred, led to the destruction of the human race.” The Rangers eyes went wide in horror and exchanged quick glances at each other. “The Rangers had fought hard for eight long years, but failed horribly. The last Ranger standing was Maria.” 

“Oh my,” Mia gasped, covering her mouth in horror. “We failed?” Kevin spat, his fists clenching in anger. Emily felt tears welling up in her eyes and hugged Serena for comfort.

“Maria came into the past with the purpose of preventing all of your deaths by Xandred’s hands,” Hideo continued. “She and I come from a different timeline, our Jayden destroyed, the moment we left.” 

_ Jayden raised his Samuraizer and wrote the kanji for destruction. “Dead...End,” Jayden whispered, stroking the air with quick red strokes. He spun the kanji around, throwing it at the fading portal before he let out his last breath. _

“Maria had through the portal she had created by orders of Future Jayden,” Hideo declared. “He had given her permission to break the Purple Shogun’s rule.” “To travel back in time,” Kevin nodded in understanding. 

_ Jayden grabbed Maria’s shoulders as she hesitated to create the portal. “Maria, you have to do this!” he ordered her. “But, the Purple Shogun’s rules!” Maria yelled at him, her hazel eyes wide in shock. “I give you permission to break them!” Jayden declared. “You have to go back in time! You have to save us from this destruction. You have to lead us into the right path! We have to win the battle against Xandred! We have to save humanity!” _

“If she had to do all of this, why make up Tashiko?” Serena asked puzzled. “Why lie to us?” Mike grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. “She didn’t lie to you,” Hideo replied. “That was my fault. When I crossed the portal with her, she didn’t know I had come with. She fell off a cliff and hit her head and in act of desperation, I sealed her memories in my crystal ball. I couldn’t risk her losing the information she had brought to you all.” 

“That’s when Aaron and Cody found her,” Jayden murmured. “She didn’t know who she was…” 

“Exactly,” Hideo nodded. “I left here on purpose, I knew Aaron would find her.” 

_ He could see her running through the forest, clutching the injury in her stomach. Her arm and clothes were soaked in blood and could see her staggering as she ran. “Wait!” Hideo yelled at the young woman. “I can heal you!” He saw her turn around, noticing him running after her. She let out a gasp before collapsing into the ground, moaning in pain. She began to cough before turning back to him and yelled, “Get away from me!”  _

_ Hideo was about to reach her but she had gotten to her feet once more, running away from him. “Wait! Maria! Stop!” he yelled once more. “I said get away!” Maria shouted at him, before Hideo noticed her foot getting tangled on a tree root. She was flung down hill, a scream erupting from her mouth as she began to fall. Hideo skidded towards the edge and yelled, “NO!”  _

_ He watched her land on the ground tumbling down the hill with horrified eyes. He extended his silver wings and floated towards the ground. He ran to find the raven haired woman had stopped at the bottom, blood streaking a large rock she had hit on her way down.  _

_ Hideo quickly approached her, seeing that her eyes were half-way closed. She slowly turned to glance at him before her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “Dammit!” Hideo spat, grabbing his head, wondering what he could do. He heard a faint noise and glanced around, before finding a faint light in the distance.  _

_ It was the Guardian’s home.  _

_ He looked at the raven haired woman before yelling, “Help!”  _

_ “HELP!”  _

_ Hideo continued to yell, his voice getting raspier before hearing a voice echoing him back. “Where are you?” Aaron yelled back. Hideo noticed the Guardian walking towards them and looked at the Purple Ranger. “I am sorry, Maria. But I cannot let them discover your mission until better terms.” He placed the crystal ball on her forehead, a white light engulfing the glass ball. Streams of color appeared on the crystal, making the Half-Nighlok get to his feet, seeing her memories on his scepter.  _

_ He heard footsteps before changing into his human form, running away from the scene. “Hey!” he heard Aaron yell, but was cut off, when he noticed the young woman by his feet.  _

“But how did she suddenly remember everything?” Mia asked curiously. “I shattered the crystal ball on my scepter when I saw you all fighting Xandred,” Hideo pointed out. He summoned his scepter, showing them the shattered glass. “I thought it was the right time for her to really appear.” 

The Rangers remained silent, all the information Hideo had told them beginning to sink in. 

“What caused the future to go to shit?” Serena inquired, glancing at Hideo. “I mean, something bad must have happened to make you two go back into the past.” 

“Yeah, what happened to the future us?” Mike nodded. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you all to know,” Hideo stated. “The future is fluctuating all the time. What might have happened to us, might not happen to you.” 

The Rangers didn’t seem satisfied by that answer but decided not to push it any further. “Besides, I cannot tell you full details, as I don’t know much about time travel. Maria would answer those questions,” Hideo pointed out. “But what I can show you is this.” 

The Half-Nighlok got to his feet and waved his scepter around. He slammed it on the ground, the whole cave displaying a show of red light. The Rangers eyes went wide in horror, seeing what Hideo was showing them. 

“Is that Panorama City?” Kevin gasped out, seeing the destroyed city.

The tall buildings that towered upon the city, where collapsed. Red rivers of Sanzu water, eroded the ground and flooded most of the city. The grassy fields that covered parts of Panorama City parks, were replaced by a musky, crimson colored dirt. The sun had turned into a burning white star and the skies glowed red like blood. Nighloks and Moogers walked around freely, replacing the humans that had ceased to exist. Fires covered the areas that were not flooded by Sanzu waters, burning away what was left of human civilization. 

“This is Panorama City,” Hideo told them. “December 10, 2020, the day Xandred conquered the world. The day where the last three Rangers fought their last battle till the end.” 

The Rangers were in shock, the girls were in tears while the men clenched their fists in anger. “This is terrible,” Serena muttered. “Where is everyone?” Kevin asked, looking at Hideo. “The rest of the humans lived underground but the Xandred’s second coming caused most of the Overworld to be uninhabitable for humans to live on.”

“How did this happen?” Emily whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Various deaths contributed to this destruction,” Hideo replied to her. 

“I can’t believe our efforts in the future, ended to be this…” Kevin told the others. Hideo made the memory disappear and glanced at the Rangers. “Maria has the hope this timeline will be the one to succeed. You all hold the keys to lead humanity to a better, safer future. The power, for victory.” 

The Rangers exchanged glances, determination flooding into their bodies. “Hideo is right,” Jayden told the Rangers. “We have the power to change our future. We have the power for victory.” He extended his hand towards the other Rangers and declared, “Maria has put our trust in us to change the future and save humanity. We will save the world from the Nighlok.” 

Kevin placed his hand on top of the Red Rangers, followed by the Pink Ranger. The Green and Yellow Rangers also placed their hands on top of theirs. The White Ranger placed her hand last and yelled, “Rangers together!” 

  
“Samurai Forever!”


	39. Revelation

She slowly blinked open her eyes, facing the glittery stalagmites of a cave. She heard the quiet waterfall, cascading in the background and immediately knew she was in Iyashinomizu. The Purple Samurai glanced around, confused to how she got there, before finding Hideo sitting beside her, meditating. 

Maria sat up to speak with him, but winced, feeling her chest flaring up in pain. She grunted and looked down to find her chest bandaged. She remembered the cool metal sword going through her chest, Ami’s laughing face, thinking she had finally ended her. She should’ve been dead from that attack, but Hideo seemed to have brought her to Iyashinomizu in time. 

She glanced at him, seeing him still meditating and grunted, “Thanks.” 

Hideo opened his eyes and glanced at her, a smile appearing on his face. “You’ve awoken.” 

The Purple Ranger didn’t answer but grabbed her chest. “How are you feeling?” Hideo asked her, grabbing his scepter. 

“Could’ve been better,” she told him, glancing at the ground. “The Rangers are worried about you,” Hideo began, getting to his feet. “They were distraught seeing you half dead on the ground. What happened?” 

Maria clenched her hand, remembering how Ami had brought down her guard.

* * *

_Ami slashed at her arm, knocking away her SpinSword with her claws, before stabbing her in the chest with her tainted SpinSword._

_Maria gasped out, feeling the blade go through her chest. Pain bursted in her chest, the Sanzu tainted sword poisoning her body slowly, blazing like liquid fire. She glanced down, seeing the black blade going through her before looking at Ami, who was laughing._

_“I told you, Maria. I would be the one killing you!”_

_Weakness entered her, feeling her strength leaving as she coughed up blood, her hazel eyes wide in horror. She grabbed the blade, not caring that it was cutting her hand and helplessly tried to remove it. The Half-Nighlok pushed the sword deeper, making her gasp out in agony, blood dripping from the sides of her mouth. Ami smirked and leaned towards her ear. “You do know what this means, doesn’t it? If you don’t get to Iyashinomizu in time, you’re gonna die. I won the game.”_

_“I-Iyashino-mizu?” Maria questioned, looking at the Half-Nighlok wide eyed. “Oh? You didn’t think I would know about the secret cave?” Ami stated offended. “The cave that holds healing waters, ones that could’ve, you know?_ Healed _me?_ ” 

_The Purple Samurai glanced at her in terror and opened her mouth to speak. Ami drove the sword into her chest, the Purple Samurai’s blood spilling the ground. “Don’t you think I didn’t know of that? This is why I hate you,” Ami snarled at her. “You always tend to keep the good stuff to yourself. You selfish bitch!”_

_Ami watched in contempt as the Purple Samurai laid limp on her SpinSword. She lifted her foot and slammed it into the Purple Samurai’s body, pulling away the bloodied SpinSword. The Purple Ranger collapsed into the ground, her eyes closed as Ami declared, “It’s good to know that at least in one timeline, I won the game.”_

_She turned away, swinging the sword around and stated, “The Gold Ranger is mine.”_

* * *

“She got the upper hand,” Maria replied. “Only because I thought the Gold Ranger was dead.”

“Wait, Antonio…” Hideo began but the Purple Ranger shook her head. “He’s alive. I thought she had killed him, but, what she told me before I passed out was that she had him.” 

“Why does she want him alive?” Hideo asked, confused. “She knows he’s the key for the timeline,” Maria pointed out. “She knows if he dies, the timeline can end up...into that.”

“The future we escaped from,” Hideo sighed, glancing away. 

The Purple Samurai Ranger shakingly got to her feet, making Hideo help her. “I need to warn the Rangers.” She took a few steps back but wavered, causing Hideo to catch her. “No you don’t. You need rest.” 

“I had enough rest,” Maria replied to him. “Stop being stubborn!” Hideo snapped at her. “What you got stabbed with, isn’t something you can easily brush off!”

“There’s no time,” Maria declared, looking at him. “I don’t know what Ami is planning with the Gold Ranger, but whatever it is, isn’t good.” 

Hideo looked at her before letting out a sigh. “Fine. There’s a way you can heal faster, but it'll take a lot of Symbol Power.”

“I don’t care,” Maria stated. 

“Anything to get better and help the Rangers.”

* * *

Serrator walked towards Master Xandred’s throne, his hand slowly gliding on the chair. “I will never get used to being the new King of all Nighloks,” Serrator declared. He turned around to glance at Octoroo and Ami, who were looking at him. 

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Octoroo spat at him.

The white haired Nighlok laughed and stated, “Ah Octoroo, still stuck in the old ways of the Nighlok.” He glanced at Ami and asked, “Did your plan go well?” 

“My plan went perfect,” Ami told him, a smirk spreading across her face. “I will have the weapon prepared soon.”

“Perfect,” Serrator answered with a smile. “While Master Xandred continues to soak in the Sanzu River to re-energize, I’ll push my plan ahead.” 

“You’re nuts in thinking of _that_ ,” Octoroo growled, his eyes narrowing. “Absolutely,” Serrator smiled, cackling. “Pestilox!” 

The sound of flies filled the air as a red, slimy hand grabbed upon the ship and a Nighlok climbed aboard. “You called, Serrator?” Pestilox asked, bowing down to Serrator. “What is it you need from me, Master?” 

Serrator sat down on the throne and ordered, “I need you to place the final wedge on the Earth to complete my plan.” His hand went through his robes and took out a small, grey item. “If you can just create the right amount of human misery at the spot this locator lights up at, you will be rewarded.” He tossed it to Pestilox who caught it. 

The red, slimy Nighlok smirked and declared, “Don’t worry boss, I’ll definitely create a buzz.” The Nighlok bowed again before leaving the ship, jumping back into the Sanzu River. 

Serrator smiled, placing his head on his hand and commented, “Soon, I will rule both worlds. We will make the Human world suffer and we will destroy the Rangers.” 

Ami smiled at this before turning around to leave the ship as well. 

“Our plan to crush the Rangers, has barely begun.”

* * *

Emily lay in bed, feeling Mike’s warm body against hers. She could see the sun beginning to rise through the window, but she hardly got a good night's rest. Her mind was wandering and she was worried to the core, wondering if Tashiko was okay. 

She still remembered the nightmarish scene where they found her, half dead, leaning against the tree. It reminded her too much of how they found Tashiko, broken and bloodied when Ami had tortured her. She grunted, knowing that both times, Ami had almost killed the Purple Ranger. 

Yet, she didn’t do anything. 

Emily felt sadness and helplessness overcome her, making her sniff as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She felt the bed move and could feel Mike hovering over her. “Em?” his groggy voice asked. “Are you okay?” 

“No,” Emily whispered, grabbing the blanket and pulled it closer to her. “What’s wrong?” Mike asked, more awake as he touched her shoulder. “I’m a horrible friend,” Emily muttered. “What? Why?” Mike questioned, looking at her puzzled. “Ami tried to kill Tashiko so many times and I wasn’t there once to protect her.” 

“But she’s going to be okay,” Mike told her. “Hideo told us that the cave's waters would heal her.”

“Don’t you get it?” Emily asked, glancing at him. “She promised me that she would help me fight against Ami. That she would protect me against her! She’s done so much while I sit back and do nothing!” 

Mike blinked a few times before letting out a sigh. He sat up in the bed and murmured, “What happened to...Maria...wasn’t our fault Em.”

“It feels like it!” the Yellow Ranger exclaimed. “I feel like I’ve broken my promise to her! I haven’t done anything to help her. She’s been kidnapped, tortured, her Symbol Power got severed, even almost killed! Yet, I’ve done nothing. I’ve been weak!” 

“You got kidnapped too!” Mike told her, glancing at her. “We didn’t even notice Ami had replaced you! How’d you think I feel about that? I didn’t notice the girl I love got replaced by a freaking shapeshifter!” 

“If I hadn’t hesitated before and told everyone the truth how Ami had me kidnapped, none of this would’ve happened!” Emily yelled. 

There was a silence, the quiet sobs of Emily echoing the room. 

The Green Ranger could see the frustration and the anger she had bottled up inside. He grabbed her and embraced her tightly, making the Yellow Ranger grab into his shirt and weep quietly. “Don’t worry. Maria is going to be fine. Ami is not just her and your problem is our problem. You shouldn’t blame yourself for what has happened. You’re strong, Em. You have to believe in yourself. You’ve proven a lot that you’ve grown and are strong.” 

Emily closed her eyes, wondering how Mike could believe in her so much, when she couldn’t do that for herself.

“I love you so much,” Emily whispered at him. Mike opened his eyes wide, blushing before nestling his head on top of hers. 

“I love you too.”

* * *

In the Common Room, the other Rangers were gathered around the coffee table that displayed the map of Panorama City. 

“It’s been two days since Antonio has disappeared. He should’ve been back by now,” Mentor Ji told the Rangers. “Especially since he doesn’t have his Samuraizer in hand.” “Did he leave the Shiba House?” Serena suggested. 

“I doubt it,” Kevin answered her. “I mean, why would he leave?” 

“Tashiko died, maybe he was devastated,” Serena replied. “But even so, she’s technically not dead,” Mia told her. 

“But he doesn’t know that,” Serena added. “This is too strange. Do you think something might have happened to him?” Mia asked the Blue Ranger. “Dekker was chasing him,” Kevin murmured. “But Antonio was nowhere to be seen.” 

“Ami attacked the Purple Ranger,” Jayden stated, clasping his hands together. “Ami might have attacked Antonio as well.” 

“We have searched every inch of the battlefield,” Serena concluded, drawing on the map. “The only thing we found was the black SpinSword, some dark residue and the Purple Ranger’s blood. There was no sign of anything else.” 

The Red Ranger got to his feet in frustration and raked a hand through his sandy brown hair. He felt helpless in knowing Antonio was probably in danger and he was just sitting in the Common Room with his hands across his chest. 

Suddenly there was a flash of purple light, causing the Rangers to summon their SpinSwords. 

When the light faded away, the Purple Samurai stood in the middle of the Common Room. 

“Tashiko?” Mia asked wide eyed. “You’re alive!” Jayden stated in relief, a smile spreading across his face. “Tashiko, I mean, Maria,” Kevin began. “Sorry it’s going to take a while for me to get used to using your real name.” 

Maria looked at them confused, wondering how they knew her real name. “Hideo told us everything,” Serena explained, seeing her confused glance. “That you’re from the future and how you came back to the past to protect us.” Maria let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course.” 

“Don’t be mad at him,” Kevin told her, waving his hands in front of him. “We wanted to know if you were an ally or an enemy.”

“Everything became more clear when he told us,” Mia added. 

“Why are you here?” Jayden asked her, seeing her frown. 

Maria glanced around before noticing two Rangers were missing and stated, “I need everyone here.” The Rangers noticed her grim look, making Serena nod. “I’ll get Emily and Mike.” She disappeared from sight while the others glanced at the Purple Ranger. 

She looked uncomfortable and avoided everyone’s glance. 

Jayden looked at the Rangers, who also looked awkward around the Purple Ranger. He sighed, knowing a lot of work was going to be ahead of them in order for them to work together.

They heard footsteps, making them glance up to find Mike, Emily and Serena walking towards them. “Okay, everyone’s here,” Kevin told the Purple Ranger. “What’s up?” Mike asked, looking puzzled before trailing off, finding the Purple Ranger in front of him. “Oh.”

Maria straightened up and said, “I’m guessing you all know who I am. I know some of you might be untrusting towards me, but I believe Antonio is in danger.” 

That caught the Rangers attention, looking at her with grim looks. “We figured as much,” Kevin replied. “We just don’t know who took him.” “Ami did, you can bet on that,” Maria proclaimed, making the others look at her in alarm. “Ami has him?” Emily whispered, her eyes widening. “We need to find him, now,” Jayden declared, looking at the Rangers. 

“I agree,” Serena nodded. “If she almost killed Maria and me before, I don’t want to think what Ami is doing to him.”

“My sister is right,” Emily added. “She’s ruthless. She’s a monster.”

“Let’s go,” Jayden told the Rangers but Kevin called them back. “Wait, we need to think this through.” 

“Is he even alive?” Mia asked, earning glares but waved her hands. “I know it’s stingy, but we need to think about all the possible outcomes!” Mike narrowed his eyes and growled, “He better be alive!” 

“We can’t focus on just finding Antonio,” Mentor Ji told the Rangers. “We need to find out why Serrator betrayed Master Xandred.”

“Mentor is right,” Kevin nodded in agreement. “We should split in two teams. Half of us can search for Ami, while the others investigate Serrator.” 

“I’ll lead Antonio’s search team,” Jayden proclaimed. “Kevin, you lead Serrator’s.” The Blue Ranger gave a curt nod. “Mike, Mia, Emily, you’re with me,” Jayden ordered. “The rest of you stay here with Mentor Ji and Kevin.” 

“Stop,” Maria stated, causing the Rangers to glance at her. “You didn’t let me finish.” 

“I can’t wait and let her kill him,” Jayden spat out fearfully. “That won’t happen,” Maria told him. “How do you know that?” Mike asked, stepping forward. “She almost killed you. That bitch has no mercy towards anyone, especially you!” Jayden glanced at the ground and stated, “I don’t want to think what she’ll do to my best friend.” 

“She has him alive,” Maria declared. “How can you be so sure?” Emily asked her tearfully. “Because that’s a line, she wouldn’t dare to cross,” Maria replied, clenching her jaw. “Why? Because you’ll stop her?” Mike spat out angrily. “You’ll send her trembling down to her knees? Look how that worked out!” 

“Mike!” Mia cried out, glancing at the Green Ranger in shock. 

“I know you’re all angry right now and you’re upset, but so am I!” Maria pointed out, rounding on Mike. “Are you?” Mike yelled. “Because last time I checked, you didn’t even come to tell us you were alive Tashiko! You instead, decided to hide in the shadows, like a coward!” 

Maria flinched at that, taking a step back. 

“We all care about Antonio,” Kevin began, looking at the two Rangers. “This fight is not helping anyone, especially him.” 

“Kevin’s right, please stop fighting,” Emily begged. 

“You’re making assumptions that he’s alive,” Mike continued, clenching his fists. “We aren’t going to let him die,” Jayden proclaimed, glancing at the Green Ranger. “We just can’t go head first into battle without accessing the situation,” Kevin added. 

“You don’t get it do you?” Mike told the Rangers. “She’s only doing this for herself! She only came here, crawling to us because she’s too weak to go find Ami by herself!” 

“Enough!” Jayden roared, glaring at the Green Ranger. “I don’t care why you’re angry, but this ends now! I will not let you insult another Samurai!” 

“He’s my friend too!” Mike yelled at him. “I don’t like how she seems to not give any shit while he’s at her clutches!” 

“The reason why I’m so calm is because I know Ami wouldn’t cross the line of killing him,” Maria spat out. “Because she damn sure knows if she does, she’ll set off the destruction of this timeline!” 

A silence overcame the Rangers, causing them to glance at the Purple Ranger in horror. 

“What?” Mia whispered, covering her mouth. Jayden felt a cold sweat breakout on his forehead, remembering the horror filled future that could await for them. 

Mike looked at her and shakingly stated, “What do you mean?” 

The Purple Ranger noticed their confused, blank stares and scoffed, “He didn’t tell you.” 

“Tell us what?” Serena asked cautiously. 

“Antonio is the reason why I came back here,” Maria told them. “He’s the cause why the future was destroyed.” 


	40. A Crack in the World Pt. 1

Maria noticed that the Rangers were all in shock, making her rake a hand through her raven hair. “When you told me that Hideo told y’all about the truth, I thought he told you everything.” 

“Clearly not,” Kevin stated in shock. 

“How is he the one that sets off the timelines destruction?” Serena asked confused. 

Maria sighed and declared, “In the future, he’s the first one to die. He’s the one that sets off the domino effect.” 

“Once he dies, everyone else begins to die,” Jayden muttered. 

“He’s the key in order to keep the timeline intact,” Maria continued. “Once he’s dead, this timeline can spiral into the apocalyptic future I’m from.” 

“This makes more of a reason to find him, fast,” Mentor Ji proclaimed, making the Rangers look at him. “We must find Antonio as soon as possible.” 

“Jayden, lead the way,” Mia told the Red Ranger. “Your team is still here, awaiting your orders.” 

The Red Ranger looked at the three Rangers that were in front of him, before nodding, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Right. Prepare the War Horses.” The three Rangers nodded, rushing out the Common Room. The Red Ranger glanced at the Purple Ranger and stated, “Do you want to join us in the search?” 

“I’ll love to,” Maria told him. “But right now Mike and I aren’t on best of terms. Besides, I can search on my own. I’ll tell you if I find anything.” 

Jayden gave her a nod but Maria grabbed his arm. “I know what you’re thinking. But that timeline you saw, those memories, they aren’t going to happen. We aren’t going to let it happen. We will get him back.” Jayden nodded, squeezing her hand. “Be careful, don’t lose your cool,” Maria added with a smirk. “I know how the Red Rangers can be.” 

“You know me too well,” Jayden smiled back before running off. 

Maria watched him leave, worry filling her to the very core. She was worried about Antonio, but also the Rangers that were going to hunt down Ami. The Half-Nighlok had only gone stronger and she didn’t know what she had planned for them. 

Serena approached her and asked, “Why didn’t you leave with them? Why stay?” 

“I was going to investigate about Antonio,” Maria replied, glancing at the White Ranger. “But, since you are investigating Serrator, I would like to know more about him.” 

The White Ranger raised her eyebrow confused. “What do you mean? You’re from the future, you’re supposed to know about Serrator.” 

“That’s the problem,” Maria replied, passing by her. “He wasn’t in the future.”

* * *

Jayden, Emily, Mike and Mia were mounted on their War Horses, ready to depart to find Antonio. The rest of the Rangers were with Mentor Ji, watching them set off. 

“Rangers, please be careful,” Mentor Ji told them. “We will Mentor,” Mike told him, saluting him. “If you need anything, call us,” Kevin proclaimed, looking at the Red and Pink Rangers. “Don’t worry Kev, we’ll be fine,” Mia replied with a smile. “You two stay safe,” Serena ordered the Green and Yellow Rangers. They both nodded with Emily saying, “Don’t worry Serena. We will.” 

“We will have Antonio back here soon,” Jayden stated, pulling on the reigns of his War Horse. “Let’s go!” The other Rangers nodded, yelling to their War Horses to gallop out of the Shiba House gates. 

The Blue, White, Purple and Mentor Ji watched them leave before turning back to go inside of the Shiba House. 

Hideo meditated inside of the Cave of Healing waters. 

The waterfall quietly echoed around him before hearing a disturbance. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced around, finding nothing out of place. He got to his feet, picking up his scepter, noticing his broken crystal ball. “There’s a chill in the air,” he muttered, his grip on his scepter tightening. “Something bad is going to happen.” 

“I can feel it.”

* * *

“I don’t get it,” Kevin declared, shaking his head as he paced around the Common Room. Both Rangers had briefed the Purple Ranger on how Serrator had betrayed Xandred and had simply vanished from sight. 

“So did Serrator go rogue?” Maria asked the Blue Ranger who shook his head. “I honestly don’t know,” Kevin answered. “Xandred attacked him and he ran away. Something doesn’t add up and I’m not liking it.”

“Seems that whatever he’s planning, he's confident enough to betray Xandred,” Maria commented, crossing her arms across her chest. “Serrator has made a series of attacks on us,” Serena added. “He’s attacked the island and multiple areas that seemed random.”

“No,” Kevin shook his head. “Serrator doesn’t seem like the Nighlok that attacks randomly. He’s calculating, he must have a pattern.” 

“Where has he attacked, exactly?” Maria asked, looking at the map in front of her. 

The Blue Ranger pointed out on the map, placing dots on where Serrator has attacked. “Here are all the places Serrator has appeared or sent a Nighlok himself.” The Purple Ranger observed the map, looking thoughtful. 

“It forms a line,” Serena noted, glancing at Kevin. “Exactly,” he nodded at her. “That can’t be a coincidence.” 

Maria narrowed her eyes and noted, “That’s because it isn’t.” 

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Serena began, worry lacing her voice. “What do you mean?” Kevin asked, looking at the thoughtful Purple Ranger. 

“I’ve seen this before,” Maria explained, glancing at them. “Except this wasn’t Serrator who planned it, but Xandred.” “What is it?” Kevin questioned, narrowing his eyes. 

“The flooding of the world,” Maria stated coldly.

* * *

Serrator walked around Master Xandred’s ship, awaiting Pestilox’s return. “At last, time to finally complete my plan,” Serrator smirked, heading towards the ship’s dock. Just as he was about to leave, Octoroo’s scepter intercepted his exit. 

“Oh-ah-ooh! Where do you think you’re going?” Octoroo told the white haired Nighlok. He glared at Serrator and growled lowly, “I know what you’re up to.” 

Serrator glanced at the shorted Nighlok who pointed at him with his scepter. “I figured it a while ago,” Octoroo began, circling Serrator. “You’re driving wedges of misery into the human world so you can split it open and flood the Earth!” 

Serrator raised his hands and slowly clapped, a smirk spreading across his face. “Impressive,” he stated. “The noodle head is actually useful for something!” Octoroo curled his lip angrily and snapped, “I just wished I discovered this earlier! I would have told Master Xandred to overthrow you earlier! This plan is insane!” 

Serrator watched Octoroo turn away from him and continued, “Tearing an opening between our worlds could destroy them both.” Octoroo clenched his scepter tighter. “I don’t know about you Serrator, but I actually want to live to see the Nighloks rule the world!” 

The white haired Nighlok laughed and stated, “If it would help me rule both worlds I’d destroy you a thousand times over if you get in my way.” 

Octoroo opened his eyes wide and glanced back at Serrator. “Once Master Xandred recovers from his healing, he’ll rip you and this insane plan to shreds!” he snarled. 

“If he awakes,” Serrator pointed out with a smirk. Octoroo clenched his jaw and snapped, “You don’t have the power to split open the human world. You’d need someone filled with Nighlok rage and human sorrow to do it!” 

“I already have a candidate,” Serrator proclaimed, making Octoroo’s eyes widen. “No, Dekker! You need him to deliver the final strike, don’t you?” 

Serrator leaned towards Octoroo and slowly clapped again. “To think that my 200 year plan has been all figured out by a noodle face! What do you want? A cookie? A gold star?” Octoroo smirked, seeing that Serrator was mocking him but stated, “There’s no way it can succeed. He’ll never agree to it!” 

Serrator cackled and declared, “Everyone has a price and I have something he wants.” “Uramasa,” Octoroo growled as Serrator raised his hand. The noodle faced Nighlok took a step back, raising his scepter. “I won’t let you off this ship!” 

“Nothing will get in my way, especially you!” Serrator declared, blasting the Nighlok, sending Octoroo skidding the ground. He dropped his scepter, clattering the wooden floor. Octoroo painfully dragged himself to grab his scepter but Serrator stepped on it. He glared at the white haired Nighlok and spat, “When Xandred awakens, you’ll regret stepping aboard this ship!” 

Serrator leaned towards him and smiled, “We’ll see about that.”

* * *

Pestilox was on top of a building as the locator that he had on his hands spun around. “This is the spot for Serrator’s final wedge,” he stated, glancing around Panorama City. He breathed in, taking in the air around him before exhaling. “Ah, the calm before the swarm,” he said before laughing at his own pun. 

Pestilox jumped down the building, crashing towards a restaurant full of people. Immediately, the people screamed startled at the presence of a Nighlok, fleeing in fear. “Hello humans!” Pestilox cried out as the humans screamed in terror. “Oh, do I bug you?” 

He summoned Nether insects out of his skin, which flew into the screaming mouths of the humans. Instantly, the people collapsed into the ground, groaning in pain. “Now, my flying bugs have given you a serious stomach bug!” Pestilox laughed as he looked around. People were withering on the ground in pain making him stated, “Yes, what a sight for sore stomachs! This should be more than enough misery. Serrator can create his final wedge on the Earth right here.”

* * *

“The flooding?” Serena echoed as the Purple Ranger felt cold sweat drip down her head. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Maria told the Rangers. “The flooding happened months earlier, why is it happening now?” 

“Maria, please explain,” Kevin proclaimed as Maria glanced at him. “In the future, Master Xandred resorted to a plan where he could split open the Earth and flood it quicker.” She clenched her fists, her hazel eyes wide in fear and stated, “The Earth flooded badly. We couldn't get rid of the Sanzu Water. I don’t know how he did it, but these attacks follow the same pattern.” 

“He split the Earth, combining the Netherworld and the human world as one,” Kevin murmured, his eyes widening. “How’s that possible?” Serena inquired, growing alarmed.

“We need to call the others,” Kevin told them, taking out his Samuraizer. 

Suddenly the Gap Sensor went off, causing the three Rangers to glance at the map. A red indicator showed a Nighlok attack in line of the other recent attacks. “Right in the line,” Kevin muttered, looking at the two Rangers. “What’s the plan?” Serena asked him. 

“We meet the Nighlok,” Kevin ordered. “We can call the others in the way.” He looked at Maria, who glanced at him expressionless. “Come with us.” She looked at him surprised before fading away, giving him a nod.

* * *

Jayden glanced around for any signs of the Half-Nighlok Ami, but the forest was deserted. 

Mia made her War Horse approach Jayden’s and stated, “We’ve been searching for a while and no signs of her. I don’t think she’s here.” 

Jayden let out a sigh, declaring, “We have to find her. We can’t leave Antonio in her clutches.” Mia looked at him in concern and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” Jayden glanced at her and gave her a nod. “I’m just tired of this Mia. Tired that my friends keep getting hurt,” he confessed. “So am I,” Mia replied, giving him a reassuring smile. 

Their Samuraizer began to ring, causing the Rangers to take them out and look at them. Mike approached them, pulling on his War Horses reigns and stated, “Kevin told us that a Nighlok is attacking the city.” 

Jayden clenched the Samuraizer tightly in his hand while Emily advanced towards him and said, “Antonio wouldn’t ask to put the others in risk for him.” The Red Ranger looked at her and sighed. “You’re right. Let’s go deal with this Nighlok.”

* * *

The Blue, White and Purple Rangers arrived at the site where Pestilox was attacking. They found several people groaning on the ground in pain, before spotting the Nighlok. 

“Hey!” Kevin shouted at the red, slimy Nighlok. Pestilox turned around to find the three Rangers facing him. “What? Rangers?! You three wanna get in this too?” 

“What did you do to these people?” Serena asked him, pointing at the humans that lay on the ground. Pestilox laughed and stated, “I just gave them a little stomach bug!” The Nighlok grinned at her, raising his hands towards the White Ranger. “And there’s no cure!”

“I bet we can find the cure,” Maria declared, taking out her Samuraizer. “Oh? How so?!” Pestilox asked. “By destroying you!” Kevin answered, writing the kanji for Water before spinning it around, transforming into the Blue Ranger. Serena wrote the kanji for Earth, while Maria wrote the kanji for Lightning, morphing into the White and Purple Ranger’s respectively. 

“Let’s go!” Kevin told the two women, shooting forward. 

The three Rangers and Pestilox clashed together, exchanging blows. “You three are pretty good!” Pestilox complimented them. “But you won’t be able to defeat me if you’re sick too!” He pushed them off, before raising his hands towards them, sending a swarm of bugs at them. 

The Purple Ranger jumped in front of the White and Blue Rangers, converting her SpinSword into her Lightning Kama’s. “Lightning Dance!” she yelled, swinging her kama’s around, lightning crackling around her. Pestilox’s bugs landed on the ground, dead, lightning crackling around their bodies. 

“My bugs!” Pestilox cried out, seeing them on the floor. He glanced up at the Purple Ranger and growled, “You’re going to pay for that!” The Nighlok took in a deep breath before spitting out a wad of blue goo at her. Just as she was about to raise her Lightning Kama to block it, a Red blur appeared, blocking the attack. 

The Purple Ranger turned around to find the Red Ranger had blocked the attack with his Fire Smasher. 

“Jayden!” Serena stated in relief. 

Mike and Emily jumped above Pestilox, slashing at him before landing in front of the Red Ranger. Mia rushed towards them and asked, “Are you okay?” Kevin gave her a nod. “We are unhurt. Glad you guys are here.” 

“Thanks Jayden,” Maria told the Red Ranger, who placed his Fire Smasher on his shoulder. “No problem,” he answered her before turning to the Nighlok. “What did he do?”

“He summons bugs that cause stomach pain,” Maria explained. 

Pestilox got to his feet, overhearing the conversation and glared at the Rangers. “They aren’t the only thing that I can summon. Moogers! Attack!”

A red light bathed the area as Moogers appeared around the Rangers, ready to attack. “Scatter!” Jayden ordered the Rangers. They took off in different directions, taking on the Moogers around them. 

Kevin and Mia ran together, slashing at the moogers in synchronization. Mike and Emily spun around each other, protecting each other’s back. Maria slashed at the Moogers with her Lightning Kama’s, with Serena beside her. Jayden swung his Fire Smasher, knocking a few of them back. 

Pestilox walked backwards, seeing the Rangers defeating the Moogers with ease. “Time to wing it!” he yelled, catching the Rangers attention. He raised his hands, summoning a swarm of bugs towards Jayden. “Jayden!” Kevin yelled out, rushing towards the Red Ranger. 

“I got this!” Mike told the Blue Ranger, changing his SpinSword into his Forest Spear. “Leaf Storm!” The Green Ranger spun around, a green vortex filled with leaves blew around him, sending the insects away from the Red Ranger. 

“Thanks Mike,” Jayden nodded at him. He turned to the Nighlok, converting his Fire Smasher into his cannon blast mode. “My turn. Fire Smasher! Cannon Blast Mode!”

The Red Ranger fired at Pestilox, who panicked, knowing there was no way to block the Red Ranger’s attack. 

Out of thin air, Serrator appeared in front of the Nighlok, deflecting the attack back at Jayden. “Return to sender!” 

Jayden swung his Fire Smasher in front of him, slicing the attack in half. There was an explosion, making Mike, Maria and Serena jump back for safety, while Jayden took out the Black Box. “Super Samurai Mode!” Jayden yelled, attaching the Black Box on his SpinSword. A white light bathed him, turning him into Super Red. 

The Red Ranger shot forward to stab Serrator, who only smirked, blocking the Red Ranger’s sword with ease. “Impatient as always,” Serrator told the Red Ranger. “Stop your meddling, Red Ranger.” 

“Never,” Jayden spat him, pushing off Serrator. He jumped back, causing the white haired Nighlok to laugh at his response. 

“We’ve seen the patterns of your attacks,” Kevin proclaimed. “We know what you’re going to do! We are here to tell you it’s the end of the line!” 

Serrator laughed at his claim and sneered at him, “So you really think you figured out my plan. Do you  _ really _ know what I’m up to?” He raised his hands in the air and declared, “Very soon, the final wedge will be in place and there’s no way in hell you Rangers can stop it! This is only the beginning of the shit storm that’s to come!”

“Wedge?” Jayden echoed, narrowing his eyes. “What’s he talking about?” Mike asked, glancing at the other Rangers. 

“Foolish Rangers, you really don’t know of my plan,” Serrator stated, shaking his head. “The final wedge I need is human sadness in just the right place…” He pointed at the people laid on the ground and said, “To split open the Earth and merge the two worlds in one.”

“What?!” Emily whispered, her eyes wide in shock. Kevin turned to Maria and murmured, “You were right.” Maria clenched her jaw and raised her SpinSword at Serrator. “We aren’t going to let you split open the Earth, Serrator.” The white haired Nighlok glanced at the Purple Ranger and smirked. “Ah, the future Ranger. Interesting to see you still alive.” 

“It’ll take a lot more than a stab wound to kill me,” Maria growled. “Tell me, Purple Ranger,” Serrator asked, his white eyes eyeing her. “You saw the flood. How is it?” The Purple Ranger smirked at him, stating, “It will be glorious for you, Serrator. All humans were almost eradicated as the Sanzu Waters flooded the Earth.”

Serrator chuckled at this and clapped his hands together. “Good to know my good fortune.” 

The Purple Ranger chuckled and declared, “Well that’s the problem. We aren’t going to let you flood this Earth.” The other Rangers raised their SpinSwords towards him, ready to attack. 

Serrator narrowed his eyes on her and said, “We will see about that.” He turned to the Nighlok behind him and ordered, “Go, squeeze more suffering from these pathetic humans.” “As you wish, boss,” Pestilox nodded, running away from the Rangers.

“Don’t let him get away!” Jayden shouted at the Rangers. They began to run towards Pestilox but Serrator got in the way. “You’re annoying!” Serrator raised his hand, throwing a lightning blast at the Rangers. The Purple Ranger jumped in between them, taking the attack. 

“Maria!” Emily yelled in horror, but her eyes widened to find the Purple Ranger getting off the ground. Lightning crackled around her, causing Serrator to clench his jaw. Maria looked at him, a sneer appearing on her face. “Thanks for the recharge, Serrator. Not only am I the Time Ranger, but the element of Lightning courses through me. Bad choice of attack.” 

Jayden smirked at this and turned to the Rangers. “Mia, Em, come with me. The rest stay with Maria.” 

The Rangers nodded, splitting up with the Blue, White and Green Rangers staying behind with the Purple Ranger. Serrator raised his hand to blast the Red, Pink and Yellow Rangers. A Lightning Kama flew towards him, wrapping around his arm and deflecting the attack to the ground. Serrator glanced at the Purple ribbon around his arm and glared at the Purple Ranger.

“Lightning Dance,” the Purple Ranger yelled. 


	41. A Crack in the World Pt. 2

Pestilox had cornered a group of workers at a parking garage and approached them slowly. “Come here, humans!” Pestilox yelled at them. The workers looked at the Nighlok terrified before hearing someone shout, “Bullzooka Blast!”

The sound of a bull filled the air before the Nighlok screamed in agony, feeling the blasts hit his back, collapsing on one knee. Pestilox turned around to find Jayden, Mia and Emily ready to attack him once more. 

“You again!” Pestilox snarled at them. Jayden noticed the group of workers trembling in fear and glanced at the girls. “Make sure those people are okay.” “Right,” Mia nodded, rushing to aid the workers with Emily in tow.

* * *

The Purple Ranger spun around, the kama’s slashing at Serrator in quick, fast slashes, causing him trouble in keeping up with her attacks. 

“Enough!” Serrator snarled, grabbing a Lightning Kama and swung the Purple Ranger around. She was thrown towards the ground, causing her to get winded as Kevin and Mike shot forward. 

The white haired Nighlok blocked the two Rangers attacks, pushing off them as he spun around, slashing at them. “How about three bastard!” Serena snarled, spinning around to slash at him. The Blue and Green Rangers got to their feet, attacking Serrator with Serena. 

Maria struggled to get to her feet, powering down as a few drops of blood spilled on the ground. _Dammit_ , she thought, touching her chest and found her fingers tainted in blood. _I reopened my wound. I have to heal this closed again._

“Is it me, or is he getting faster?” Mike panted at the other two Rangers. “Seems like we are not slowing him down!” Kevin answered, spinning around and blocking the attacks. “We have to end this!” Serena told them. 

Serrator took their distraction to their advantage, grabbing Mike and throwing him to the other side of the fight. The Green Ranger skidded the ground in a sickening thud and struggled to get to his feet. 

“Mike!” Kevin yelled at him, causing Maria to glance at the Green Ranger. Serena’s scream made Kevin glance back at the fight, finding the White Ranger rolling on the ground. “Serena!” He felt someone grab him by the neck, making him gasp out in shock. Serrator smirked at him stating, “What Blue Ranger? Are you afraid?” He slammed him into the ground, causing Kevin to gasp out, winded. 

“Kevin!” Mike yelled, struggling to get off the ground. He looked around to find Serena struggling to get to her feet as well before looking at the Purple Ranger. He was about to yell at her but his green eyes went wide, seeing her grabbing her chest. He saw blood dripping between her fingers and saw her in pain. 

Serrator grinned at the Blue Ranger before releasing him, his white eyes going wide. The Blue Ranger turned around, coughing, rubbing his throat. 

The white haired Nighlok got to his feet, letting out a nervous laugh. “Well, well, how unexpected,” Serrator stated in a pleased tone. “What a pleasant surprise, Dekker.” 

The Ranger’s eyes widened, seeing Dekker pointing the edge of his sword on the back of Serrator’s head. 

“What’s going on?” Serena murmured, slowly getting to her feet. She was puzzled as to why Dekker had jumped into the fight. 

Dekker narrowed his eyes and spat, “Spare me. You know why I’m here.” He pressed the edge of the blade harder on the back of Serrator’s head, making him flinch. “You’ve come for your real sword, Uramasa,” Serrator stated. 

“I feel the sword calling out to me,” Dekker proclaimed. “Where is it?” 

“Good timing,” Serrator answered with a small laugh. “My plan is reaching its climax.” He glanced at the humans who groaned in agony, clutching their stomachs. “You see that glow coming from those poor miserable humans? Their misery is creating a wedge in the Earth.” 

Dekker glanced at the people that lay on the ground, Serrator taking the chance to spin around, jumping back to safety.

“Surprise!” Serrator proclaimed. “They’re the final wedges I need. All of my attacks in their sword were designed to create a line of human misery. I used Xandred’s monsters to orchestrate a symphony of human suffering to serve my brilliant objective! Now, each of the wedges I created are ready to be activated!” 

“We have to stop this,” Kevin coughed, glancing at the Rangers. 

“We aren’t letting you flood this Earth!” Mike yelled at Serrator, who laughed. 

“Accept your fate! We’re at the end of my perfect plan and the end of the world as you know it! Welcome to the start of my reign! Once this wedge is in place, your world will be bursting at the seams, ready to split open with one mighty stroke!” Serrator cried out. “I will flood the entire Earth with the Sanzu River! Not with a trickle like Master Xandred had planned! But with terrorizing torrent the likes of which have never been seen! The Earth will be submerged in the red waters of evil!” 

“And I will finally become the ruler of both our worlds!”

* * *

Pestilox smirked, seeing the Red Ranger distracted the workers and took the chance to attack. 

“The real show is about to start!” Pestilox declared, shooting two stingers at the Red Ranger. 

Mia and Emily saw the attack headed towards the Red Ranger, who was helping a young girl to her feet. 

“Watch out!” Mia yelled, rushing towards the Red Ranger. “Mia! Wait!” Emily cried out. 

Jayden spun around to find the attack about to hit him. The Pink Ranger jumped in front of him, blocking the two hits. 

Pestilox growled angrily and raised his hands in the air, summoning a swarm of bugs at them. “Take this Rangers!”

Jayden raised his sword, illuminating in a blast of fire, slashing at the insects. “Blazing Strike!” The wave of flames burned the bugs into ashes, making Pestilox take a step back. The Pink and Yellow Rangers jumped from behind the Red Ranger, converting their SpinSwords into their signature weapons. 

“Earth Slicer!” Emily yelled, throwing her shuriken at the Nighlok. “Sky Fan!” Mia called out, sending a pink wave of energy with her fan. Their two attacks spun around each other into a spiral before landing on Pestilox, sending him flying towards the ground. 

The two Rangers landed on the ground with Emily catching her shuriken. Jayden attached his SpinSword into the Bullzooka and yelled, “Super Bullzooka! Bullzooka Disk Charge!” 

Pestilox rolled to his feet, spinning around to see the Red Ranger pointing at him with the Bullzooka. “You Rangers are really bugging me!” He noticed the weapon the Red Ranger held beginning to glow. “Oh no.” 

“Bullzooka Blast!” Jayden yelled, the fiery form of the Bullzord running towards Pestilox. 

“No! NOOO!” the Nighlok yelled, trying to run, but the blast hit him dead on. Pestilox collapsed into the ground, exploding ending his first life.

* * *

The people around the other four Rangers stopped groaning, slowly getting to their feet. 

“Seems like Jayden and the girls did it,” Kevin stated with a smile. 

“You seem like you expected a different result, Serrator,” Mike mocked, making the white haired Nighlok scoff. “No matter Green Ranger, I got what I wanted,” Serrator smirked. “My final wedge will soon sink the Earth.” 

The ground began to shake as Pestilox’s second form appeared, roaring in anger. “I’ll squash you like bugs Rangers!” he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the city. The earth trembled as the Samurai Megazord appeared. 

“We need to get these people out of the way,” Kevin ordered Mike. “Right,” Mike nodded, rushing to help the people. 

“We should get up too,” Serena told Maria, who gave a nod. The White Ranger got to her feet and helped the Purple Ranger to her before noticing the blood in her hand. “You’re injured!” 

“No, my wound opened up, that’s all,” Maria answered. “Stay here,” Serena told her, rushing towards Mike and Kevin.

Serrator saw the Rangers getting the people away from the area and yelled, “It’s no use getting them to safety! Their misery has already sunk into the Earth!” He flinched back when Dekker swung his sword towards Serrator’s throat. “Enough talk,” Dekker proclaimed. “Give me what you promised. Give me my sword, Uramasa!” 

The white haired side glanced at the Half-Nighlok and sneered, “Why of course! But first, you need to complete your end of the deal. You owe _me_ a small favor.” 

Dekker looked at the Nighlok puzzled and repeated, “A favor?”

“Yes!” Serrator replied, his white eyes glowing in amusement. “The one to crack open the world, is you, Dekker.” 

The Ranger’s eyes overheard their conversation and glanced at Dekker in horror. 

“What?” Dekker spluttered. 

“The one to split the Earth must be someone who feels the pain of both human and Nether worlds, but belongs to neither,” Serrator explained. “That’s you.” 

“We need to stop them! Now!” Serena glanced at the Rangers. “Right!” Kevin nodded, shooting forward. 

Serrator raised his hands, seeing them rushing towards them. “Stop meddling!” he yelled, blasting them with a lightning blast. The Rangers were sent flying backwards, skidding the ground. They groaned, rolling on the ground as Serrator walked towards them, his hand raised ready to attack them once more.

“Nothing will stand in my way!” 

The ground shook, making everyone stagger as the Megazord defeated Pestilox. 

“They did it!” Mike gasped out. Kevin and Serena smiled happily as well while Maria glanced at them. She noticed that their aura was getting dimmer, knowing they were almost out of Symbol Power. 

Serrator grunted, observing that the Megazord had disappeared from sight. “Pestilox’s defeat means nothing, Rangers. The wedge is set.” 

The ground trembled underneath them, causing the Rangers to glance at the ground. “What was that?” Mike asked. Serena felt instantly weak, causing her to collapse, but the Blue Ranger managed to catch her in time. “Serena?” Kevin asked worriedly. The White Ranger touched her head and whispered, “The Earth...it’s in so much pain.” 

“Look!” Serrator yelled as the ground began to glow a dark purple. “The power is surging! The energy is filled with such misery!” He glanced at Dekker, reaching inside of the sleeve of his clothes, pulling out Uramasa. “Now it’s time for you to finish this Dekker! With a final strike from your one true sword!” 

Maria approached them and ordered, “Kevin! Take Serena away from here!” Kevin looked at her and yelled, “I can’t leave you guys here!”

“Serena isn’t looking good,” Mike argued, pointing at the pale White Ranger. “You aren’t either,” Kevin stated, looking at Maria. “I’m fine,” Maria told him. “Go!” 

The ground slowly growled and roared, sending shockwaves around them. 

Serrator cackle maniacally and yelled, “Dekker! It’s time! Here’s Uramasa! Your sword as promised!” He offered the sword to the Half-Nighlok, who reached out to grab it, but Serrator pulled it away from him last minute. 

“Live up to the end of the deal and it’s yours! Take it Dekker!” Serrator proclaimed. “With it, you shall shatter the world!”

* * *

Hideo made his way outside of the cave, feeling an intense energy around him. _What is that?_ , he thought, glancing around. 

He then felt it.

Something evil was trembling underneath his feet, he could feel the plants crying out in pain. He touched his head, knowing that the forest was crying out for help. _What is going on?_

Hideo glanced around before looking at his scepter. _“Foresta, mostrami il Ranger Viola_ ,” he chanted as his scepter glowed. An illusion of the Purple Ranger showed up on the broken crystal ball, who looked like she had seen better days. 

“Dammit,” Hideo cursed, opening a gap and disappeared from sight. 

_Maria needs my help!_

_No, the Rangers do!_

* * *

The other Rangers rushed towards Kevin, Serena, Mike and Maria, finding them barely able to stand. “There they are!” Mia called out. 

The Red Ranger glanced around before catching sight of Dekker facing Serrator. What surprised him the most was Dekker’s sword Uramasa in Serrator’s hands, intact, despite being broken in half. “Is that, Uramasa?” Jayden breathed, his green eyes wide in shock. 

Dekker noticed his arrival and both exchanged glances, making Dekker remember his quest to duel the strongest warrior on Earth. If the Earth was destroyed, that meant the Red Ranger’s destruction. Dekker clenched his jaw before glaring at Serrator, spatting, “No.”

Serrator narrowed his eyes, while the Rangers watched in shock. 

“All I want is my sword, Uramasa,” Dekker declared, reaching to grab the sword once more.

Serrator jumped back, smirking. “Of course you do.” He glanced at the sword and passed his finger on the blade. “I planned for this and made sure that your centuries of rage were locked up inside of Uramasa.” 

“What?!” Dekker snarled, his eyes widening. 

“Like you heard, Dekker,” Serrator cackled slowly. “The only way to release yourself from all that pain is for you to quickly take your sword and strike down before this wedge explodes.” His eyes flashed and added, “Trust me.” 

Dekker stared at Serrator before glancing at his sword, hearing it calling out to him. Serrator approached the Half-Nighlok slowly, knowing that Dekker just needed a little push. “With one quick slash, your curse will finally be broken. You will truly be free.” 

“Free,” Dekker whispered. “Free at last.” 

The ground rumbled once more, as another energy surge shook the ground. “The energy is surging!” Serrator cried out. The Rangers covered their eyes from the bright light. “The ground is weakening along the line!” Mike pointed out. “We need to leave,” Maria told the Green Ranger. 

Emily felt weakened all of the sudden, her legs buckling from underneath her. “Emily!” Mia gasped, catching the Yellow Ranger before she collapsed. “The Earth,” Emily whispered, touching her head. “I can feel it. It’s in pain.” 

The Red Ranger could see the light getting brighter and could feel the energy getting stronger. He glanced at the Purple Ranger, who was taking out her Samuraizer. He knew what she wanted to do, but even if she stopped time, it would be too late. He closed his eyes, anger coursing through him before yelling at his friends, “Get down!” 

The Green and Purple Rangers glanced at him, seeing him grabbing Emily bridal style, with Mia running behind him. Mike grabbed Maria’s arm, just as the light blinded everyone. 

There was an explosion, sending everyone from miles of radius to be sent flying through the air. The ground dissipated around it, ripping open as the energy wave began to destroy everything on it’s path. 

Several people from the other side of the city heard the large boom, making them glance outside to witness downtown Panorama City, get engulfed in a purple vortex of light. Various explosions ensued after, causing people to scream in panic. 

The sky darkened as Serrator’s voice echoed around them. “This is just a taste of the awesome power to be unleashed! The Earth cries out that is ready to be carved in two! Dekker you’re the only one who can make it happen! I shall locate the weakest spot between our two worlds for you to make your final strike! I know that in the end you will do my bidding!”

Dekker limped around, injured before collapsing on a concrete, seeing the bright dark energy surging on both sides of him.

Serrator observed the destruction, witnessing the obliterated buildings and no signs of the Rangers. He slowly began to laugh and declared, “Rangers! Your world is crumbling before your own eyes! There’s nothing you can do to stop me now!”

* * *

The dark energy wave lowered, causing a slight breeze to blow around the destruction. Dust and debris settled down into the ground, a dead silence overcoming the area. 

A gap opened, Hideo appearing where downtown Panorama City once stood. The buildings collapsed, killing anyone who was inside at the moment of the explosion. The Half-Nighlok, glanced around, his eyes wide in horror. “No,” he whispered, shaking his head, collapsing to his knees. “The Rangers… I am too late..” 

Most of the area had been eradicated and if the Rangers had been near the energy fault, they were probably dead. “No!” Hideo muttered, slamming a fist into the ground. “They can’t be dead! They can’t be dead!” He began to weep, tears dripping down into the bare floor. “Maria… Emily, Mia, Kevin, Jayden...me…” 

The Half-Nighlok paused, opening his eyes and glanced at his hands. “Wait, if I was dead, I would’ve ceased to exist.” Hideo wiped his tears and grabbed his scepter, getting to his feet. “There’s a chance I’m still alive and if I am, so are the others!” 

“I have to find them!” 


	42. Shatter

The sky crackled, thunder rumbling in the distance as a few drops of rain began to fall. 

The White Ranger could feel something wet falling on her cheek, making her slowly open her brown eyes. She groaned, feeling like her body had been rammed by a truck. She glanced around confused, seeing the destruction around her. “Oh my,” she breathed, shakily getting to her feet. “What happened?” The blonde woman saw the purple vortex of light sprouting towards the sky and fell to her knees. 

She could feel the earth crying out in pain, all the people that got caught in the destruction, laying around her. “All these people…”

Most of downtown Panorama City had been eradicated. 

She heard some ruble moving before slowly looking to find Kevin pushing himself off the ground. “Kevin,” she stated, relief flooding her voice. 

The Blue Ranger rubbed his head painfully and glanced at Serena. “Serena, you’re okay,” he sighed relieved. He got to his feet and his eyes went wide, observing the destruction around him. Kevin clenched his fists, closing his eyes before glancing at Serena. “We need to find the others.” 

He approached her and extended his hand, making Serena take it and got to her feet. She looked at him terrified and whispered, “I know. I hope they’re okay.” 

Kevin gave her a nod. “They better.” 

* * *

Mike observed the destruction around him as he stood on top of a collapsed building. The rain was soaking him to the bone, but he didn’t care. He clutched his ribs in pain, having been bruised during the explosion and closed his eyes. Anger pulsed throughout his body, making him clench his fists angrily. “Dammit! Dammit!” he yelled. 

He opened them, hoping to find downtown Panorama City intact, but continued to be a pit of destruction. Mike glanced around hoping to find one of the other Rangers, calling out their names. “Guys!” he called out. “Anyone?!” 

Mike waited silently, hoping someone would answer him, but only the rain responded back. He fell to his knees, clenching his hands once more, tears forming in his eyes. What if he was the only one left? What if all the other Rangers had been killed in the destruction?  _ Don’t think like that! _ , Mike scolded himself.  _ They’re strong. They have to be alive! _

He wiped the tears from his eyes before hearing footsteps approaching him. He turned around to find Hideo looking at him in relief. “Mike, you’re alive!” he gasped out, helping the Green Ranger to his feet. “Hideo?” Mike questioned. “What, what are you doing here?” 

“I felt the energy wave and saw the sky darkening,” Hideo told him. “I knew that you must be in trouble. I came here as quickly as I could.” Mike glanced at the ground and stated, “Thanks. I don’t know where the others are.” 

“We will find them,” Hideo assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

The Pink Ranger looked around, rubbing her head as she got to her feet. “Ow,” she groaned and glanced around. “Jayden? Emily?” She stopped rubbing her head when she noticed the two Rangers were nowhere near here. “Oh no.” She quickly ran around, noticing the rubble around her and stated, “I need to find Jayden and Emily!” 

Mia ran off in a direction, hoping she could bump into one of her friends.

* * *

Maria slowly opened her eyes, finding herself staring at the darkened sky. Rain drops fell on her face as she glanced around.  _ What happened? _ She thought, blinking away the drops that slid down her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the Green Ranger grabbing her arm, just as a dark purple enveloped them.  _ The fault! _ , she thought in alarm, sitting up, feeling a pang on her chest. 

She gasped out, grabbing her chest, remembering that she had opened her wound. She pulled her qipao and saw the wound almost closed. At least she had stopped bleeding. She sighed in relief before getting to her feet. 

The Purple Ranger glanced around, seeing the destruction the fault had caused. A gentle wind blew her raven hair around before hearing footsteps. She looked over her shoulder before someone slammed into her, hugging her tightly. “You’re alive!” Mike’s voice declared in relief. 

“Doesn’t feel like it while you’re squishing me,” Maria groaned, making Mike release her quickly. “Sorry!” the Green Ranger laughed nervously. The Purple Ranger looked at him, seeing his teary eyed face and worried smile. “You look like I’m the first person you’ve seen.” 

“That’s cause you are,” came another voice. Hideo approached them with a smile on his face. “Glad to see you alive, Maria.” Maria scoffed, a smile spreading across her face. “Late as always, Hideo.” 

Hideo smirked at her before both of their smiles disappeared. “So, you haven’t found the others,” Maria asked them grimly. “No,” Mike shook his head. “You’re one of the only Rangers we’ve found,” Hideo replied. Maria frowned before opening her left hand, summoning her Wolf Zord. “Then we’ll need a little bit of help.” 

She took out her Samuraizer with her right hand and threw the folding zord in the air. “Wolf folding Zord!” she called out, writing a kanji for ‘big’. The purple kanji attached to the folding zord, casting a bright purple light as the Wolf folding Zord landed on the ground. Lyall let out a bark, growling before approaching her master, licking her face. 

Maria smiled at that and petted her muzzle. “Come, we need to find the Rangers,” she told the Wolf Zord. Lyall barked at her, lowering herself to the ground so Maria could ride her. “Come Mike,” she told the Green Ranger, hoping on top of Lyall. She extended her hand towards him, who took it and was swung behind the Purple Ranger. 

Mike held Maria as the Purple Ranger glanced at Hideo. “You take the opposite direction I take. Hopefully we can find the rest of the Rangers.” Hideo gave her a nod, disappearing through a gap, while Maria took off in a different direction.

* * *

Emily let out a groan, feeling the rain soaking her clothes and blinked her eyes open. She could feel the earth screaming out to her in agonizing pain. She slowly sat up, witnessing the destruction around her. Her eyes went wide, gaping and covered her mouth in shock. The Yellow Ranger shakingly got to her feet before her eyes caught sight of Jayden, a few feet away from her. 

“Jayden!” Emily gasped out. She heard a groan and turned around to find Dekker laid on a piece of concrete away from her. “Dekker!” she gasped, collapsing on her butt as she looked at him surprised. The Half-Nighlok laid injured and unconscious, a soft groan escaping his lips. Emily swallowed, hoping that she didn’t make any noise where she could wake him up. She slowly got on her feet, backing away quietly when she heard a soft thud. 

A shiver went up her spine, bringing her guard up as she looked around, trying to find out where the noise had come from. 

She noticed a figure approaching Dekker through the curtain of rain and took a few steps back. “Who’s there?” she asked, summoning her SpinSword. 

The figure stopped in short of Dekker and slowly glanced at Emily. Her brown eyes went wide, seeing a familiar white and black checkered scarf around the figure’s neck. 

“Antonio?”

* * *

Mia ran through the debris, trying to find one of her friends. She jumped on top of some concrete and leaped off, slamming into a familiar person. “Oof!” the figure gasped out as both Rangers fell down into the ground. 

The Pink Ranger rubbed her head and noticed the familiar blue shirt, tears forming in her eyes. “Kevin!” she cried out happily, hugging the Blue Ranger tightly. 

Kevin gaped at her, getting to his feet and lifted the Pink Ranger off the ground. “Mia! You’re okay!” he gasped out, hugging her tightly. Both of them laughed, embracing before sharing a deep kiss, tears running down their faces. They broke apart, looking at each other in the eyes as they touched foreheads. “I thought I lost you,” Kevin murmured at her. “I wouldn’t go down that easy,” Mia replied with a smile. 

“Get a room,” Serena teased, making both Rangers blush in embarrassment. “Serena, you’re okay!” Mia sighed in relief. The White Ranger shrugged, giving her a broken smile. “Could be better.” 

The Pink Ranger looked around them and noticed it was just them two. “And the others?” 

“No sign of them,” Kevin shook his head grimly. “We are trying but Serena is being affected by the fault Serrator has created.” Mia glanced at the White Ranger, who was leaning against some concrete. “I can take her back to the Shiba House.”

“No I need to find my sister,” Serena protested. “Serena, you can barely stand,” Kevin told her. “Kevin’s right, he can find Emily,” Mia told her. Serena scoffed and turned away, knowing they were right. 

The Blue Ranger glanced at Mia and gave her a nod. “Please take care.” 

“You too,” Mia replied worriedly. She kissed him on the lips before heading towards Serena and took out her Samuraizer. “Home!” she called out as she grabbed Serena’s hand. A bright pink light enveloped them before they vanished from sight. 

Kevin narrowed his eyes and turned around, hoping to find the others.

* * *

“Emily,” the Gold Ranger stated, his brown eyes flashing. 

“How are you here?” Emily asked worriedly. “We thought Ami had captured you. How’d you escape?”

The Gold Ranger eyed her before scoffing, “Does it matter? I am here now.” The Yellow Ranger took a step back, finding something strange about the Gold Ranger. “It does matter,” Emily told him. “Everyone was worried about you. They even thought you had been killed by Ami!” 

“But she didn’t, did she?” Antonio proclaimed. “We had a very long conversation, her and I. She let me go with ease.” 

Emily glanced at him confused, knowing well that Ami wouldn’t let him free easily. “Ami, don't do easy.” 

“I forgot,” Antonio chuckled darkly, placing a hand on his forehead. “You know first hand about Ami.” Emily clenched her jaw at his response. “Except, to me, she made an exception,” he stated, raising his hand. 

There was a flash of gold as his Barracuda Blade appeared in his hand. 

Emily opened her eyes wide, puzzled to what he was doing. Antonio grabbed his weapon and unsheathed the blade in front of her, making her gasp out as she saw the blade. It was whole again, but the metal was pulsing a dark purple, similar to the one Ami had used to stab the Purple Ranger. “How?” Emily asked in shock. “What’s wrong with your blade?” 

“What do you mean?” Antonio asked, glancing at his blade. “The blade….it’s black,” Emily pointed out, beginning to tremble. She was starting to feel scared being around the Gold Ranger and she didn’t know why. “I know,” Antonio chuckled, passing a finger along the blackened blade. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” 

Emily didn’t respond to his statement, but continued to look at the blade. 

_ "Ami must have stabbed her, with that...sword," Hideo spat, looking at the sword that the Red Ranger had in his hands. _

_ "The Black SpinSword," Serena nodded, taking the sword from the Red Ranger's hands.  _

_ "It must have been bathed in Sanzu water," Hideo noted. "That's the Purple Ranger's weakness. She cannot regenerate being poisoned with Sanzu water." _

“Your blade,” Emily muttered in horror. “It’s tainted with Sanzu Water…” 

“That’s right,” Antonio commented, glancing at Dekker. “And you know what would make it better?” He raised his blade in the air, aiming at Dekker, who was unconscious on the ground. 

“What are you doing?” Emily declared, growing alarmed. Antonio looked at her, a smile spreading across his face. “What do you think?” he asked her, as thunder roared in the distance. “I’m going to get rid of Serrator’s key!”

* * *

Maria and Mike continued to ride Lyall through the debris before Mike tightly hugged Maria.

“I’m sorry.” 

Maria opened her eyes wide at his statement and looked over her shoulder to glance at Mike. The Green Ranger was glancing at the ground and stated, “I’m sorry I was so harsh on you earlier.” Maria looked back in front of her and shrugged. “It’s fine. I know right now most of you don’t trust me.” 

“But we should,” Mike answered. “We should try to be friends again. Just like….” 

“Tashiko,” Maria interrupted. “I know most of you miss her, but I’m not her. She’s just someone I thought I was.” 

“I know,” Mike muttered. 

Lyall suddenly skidded the ground, causing them to hold on the zord to avoid falling off. “What’s the…” Mike began but trailed off, sensing something in the air. A few beads of sweat began to form in his forehead; the presence so thick, he was starting to choke on it. “What’s that?” 

Maria felt a shiver up her spine and glanced around, trying to locate where it was coming from. “I don’t know,” Maria replied. “But whoever it is, it wants us to know it’s presence.” 

“Is it Xandred again?” Mike asked worriedly, but Maria shook her head. “No, Xandred should still be soaking in the Sanzu River after that little stunt he pulled. This is something else.” 

“Lyall, take us towards that presence,” Maria ordered the Wolf Zord, who barked. “What?” Mike cried out as they rode in a different direction. “Are you crazy? We don’t know what it is! We still have to find the others!” 

“That’s why we need to go towards it,” Maria stated. “It might want to attack the other Rangers.”

* * *

The Yellow Ranger’s eyes went wide in terror and cried out, “No! This, this isn’t right! We don’t kill humans!” 

The Gold Ranger chuckled lowly, covering his face to hold back a full maniacal laughter. “Oh, now you’re defending him?” 

“I’m not defending him!” Emily screamed out in shock.

Antonio stopped laughing and glared at Emily, slowly approaching her. “Then why are you against me killing him? He tried to kill all of us, one time or another. He wants to kill my best friend! Why not just put him out of his misery?” 

Emily looked at him terrified and whispered, “Because this isn’t you. You aren’t a killer.”

Antonio eyed her puzzled and took a few steps back confused, touching his head. He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth before opening them again, his eyes growing dull. “If you really believe that, you don’t know me at all.” 

Emily saw him inch towards Dekker, making her run towards him. “No! Don’t!” 

There was a flash of Gold that reflected against the wet debris around them.

* * *

The rain fell harder, waking the Red Ranger. 

His whole body ached and when he tried to move, his back flared up in agonizing pain. He gasped out, collapsing on his stomach as he struggled to get to his feet. Despite his Ranger suit taking all the hits, the energy from the fault had still injured his back.

He looked at the wet ground, before his eyes went wide, catching sight of blood seeping through the floor. His eyes followed the trail, only to find a horrifying scene enveloping in front of him. 

The Gold Ranger was standing a few feet away from him, his black and white scarf, spotted in red blood. In his arms, Emily leaned towards him, lying limp on his shoulder. Blood dripped from her mouth and into the Gold Ranger’s shoulder, streaking his black and white plaid shirt. 

The Red Ranger’s green eyes were wide in perturbation, not believing what he was seeing. 

He heard the clatter of the bloody Barracuda Blade hitting the ground as Antonio stood dazed. Jayden clenched his fists, his hand grabbing the muddy ground. “What, what have you done?!” Jayden cried out to him. 

The Gold Ranger heard him speak, breaking out of his trance. He slowly turned to look at him, a sneer spreading across his face. “You’ve awakened.” 

The Red Ranger noticed something strange on the Gold Ranger’s eyes but was broken out of his thoughts as Antonio chuckled. He looked at the Yellow Ranger in his arms and declared, “Sorry you had to witness my bloody show.” 

“Y-You killed her?” Jayden whispered, tears forming in his eyes. 

Antonio laughed again and stated, “I did tell her that my blade would look better tainted red.” Jayden felt a few tears slip down his face, knowing this couldn’t be the Antonio he knew. His friend wasn’t a killer!  _ Right? _ Jayden thought horrified. 

Emily suddenly coughed up blood, making the Gold Ranger look at her. “Antonio….” she whispered weakly. “What?” he growled at her. Her eyes filled up with tears and stated, “Despite what you’ve done….I-I forgive you.” 

Antonio’s eyes went wide at her declaration. 

Jayden took the advantage that he was distracted and shakingly got to his feet. 

“I know this isn’t you,” Emily continued, her eyes halfway closing. “This isn’t your doing…” She gasped out, coughing as she struggled to talk. “Please….fight back. Fight against….the darkness...consuming… you..” Her head rolled to the side and her arm fell to her side, completely still. 

“Emily!” Jayden cried out, tears streaming down his eyes. He ran towards them but Antonio grabbed his Barracuda Blade from the ground, facing him. “Don’t you dare move!” he yelled at him. “Or what?” Jayden yelled at him. “Are you going to kill me too?” 

“I don’t see any reason why,” Antonio shot back. 

Jayden flinched back at that and spat out, “We are best friends.” 

“Are we?” Antonio asked him, smirking. “What do you  _ really _ think of me now, Jay? Do you still think of me as your  _ best friend _ ?” He grabbed Emily’s yellow cardigan and pulled her off him, showing her off to Jayden. “I just killed your Yellow Ranger. Doesn’t that make you rage? Oh wait! I forgot!” Antonio sneered at him and whispered, “You already have her replacement.” 

The Red Ranger clenched his jaw angrily and summoned his SpinSword, converting it to his Fire Smasher. 

Antonio smirked at him and stated, “So you made up your mind?” 

Jayden glanced at him, his green eyes holding a deep pain, knowing he had to fight his best friend. 


	43. Deception

Jayden heard the clink of a blade sheathing before turning around, seeing a Gold blur. 

Pain shot from his back, feeling the blade stab him in the shoulder blade, making him stagger in agony. Blood burst from other cuts he never saw coming and he collapsed on one knee. He had seen the slash maneuver, he had witnessed it, but it felt horrible feeling it.  _ Is this what Emily felt?  _ Jayden thought, struggling to get to his feet. 

“Are you really struggling after that attack?” Antonio mocked him, standing in front of him once more. “That was just a warm up.” He sheathed his blade again, ready to attack once more. The Red Ranger swung his Fire Smasher in front of him and shot forward towards the Gold Ranger. 

Antonio smirked at him and unsheathed his blade, blocking the attack. “How could you?” Jayden cried out, his voice cracking. “How could you kill her in cold blood?” 

“She’s not the real Yellow Ranger? Why worry about it?” Antonio replied with a smirk. “You have Serena no?” 

Jayden pushed him off the sword lock and swung his Fire Smasher towards him. Antonio dodged the attack, disappearing from sight and reappearing behind the Red Ranger. He spun around, kicking the Red Ranger to the floor. Jayden hit the muddy ground, his Fire Smasher landing a few feet away from him. He panted, his cuts beginning to ache and struggled to get to his feet. “That doesn’t mean you can go around and kill Emily!” Jayden told him. 

“She’s just in the way Jayden,” Antonio replied. “Be glad I removed her out of the equation.” 

“I never thought I would hear those words coming out of your mouth,” Jayden spat at him. He rolled towards his Fire Smasher and grabbed the weapon, facing at him. 

The Gold Ranger laughed and stated, “Then you didn’t know me at all.” The Red Ranger clenched his teeth and shot forward towards the Gold Ranger. 

Suddenly a shot of pain ran through his body, causing him to stagger mid way and collapse into the ground. The Red Ranger struggled to get to his feet and fell to the ground again. “Stop moving so I can do this quick,” Antonio told him, circling the Red Ranger. “Your wounds have been poisoned, the more you move, the faster you die.” 

Jayden bared his teeth at him and snarled, “I’ll never forgive you for this!”

“Really?” Antonio retaliated, kneeling down. “Then what are those tears rolling down your cheeks. It pains you to see me become this, doesn’t it?” The Red Ranger glared at him angrily, knowing it was true. He couldn’t believe this was his friend, his best friend. 

“Your misery and pain will do great for the rise of the Sanzu River,” Antonio declared, grabbing Jayden’s face. “Your broken heart will take time to heal from this. To be honest, I’m not guilty of killing Emily. It was quite a pleasure.” 

“You’re going to pay for this!” Jayden cried out as tears continued to flow down his face. “Will I?” Antonio asked, looking at him in his green eyes. “Do you have the guts to put me down? To even have to take the risk of having to kill me?” 

The Red Ranger clenched his fists and glanced at the ground, knowing he couldn’t kill Antonio; his one and only friend. “That’s what I thought,” Antonio declared, getting to his feet and unsheathed his sword. “Let’s end this quickly, shall we?”

* * *

Maria and Mike continued to ride Lyall before skidding the floor, seeing below them Antonio and Jayden staring at each other.

“It’s Jayden and Antonio,” Maria commented. She hopped off the Wolf Zord, followed by the Green Ranger. She reverted her Wolf Zord back into its inactive state while Mike glanced down. Maria heard Mike take a sharp inward breath and yelled, “He’s going to kill Jayden!” 

Maria spun around in shock, hearing the words coming out of the Green Ranger’s mouth and neared the edge. Her eyes opened wide, seeing the Gold Ranger unsheathing his blade, ready to plunge it into the Red Ranger’s head. 

The Purple Ranger grabbed the Green Ranger’s arm, surprising him.

“Whatever you do, don’t let go!” Maria declared, making Mike nod.

* * *

The Gold Ranger was about to plunge his blade into the Red Ranger when a lightning bolt flew towards him. There was a purple flash, revealing the Purple Ranger, swinging the Green Ranger towards the Gold Ranger, who glanced at them surprised. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mike snarled angrily, summoning his SpinSword. He blocked the Gold Ranger’s attack, making both Ranger’s skid the floor. 

The Purple Ranger landed on the ground and turned to glance at Jayden. “Jayden, are you okay?” He was covered in multiple gashes that looked deep and glowing a fiery red. “I’m fine,” the Red Ranger panted, his forehead full of beads of sweat. “No you’re not,” Maria answered, rushing towards him. She checked his injuries and noticed black streaks running away from the gashes. “You’re poisoned.” 

“I’m fine,” Jayden insisted. “Stop moving,” Maria told him, taking out her Samuraizer. She quickly called the Shiba House, hoping someone would answer. 

“Hello?” Mia answered. “Mia?” Maria questioned, confused. “What- Nevermind! Whoever is with you, come meet me at Iyashinomizu!”

“The Cave of Healing waters?” Mia repeated, confused. “Yes, Jayden’s been poisoned by Sanzu River water, and I still haven’t found the others!” Maria replied. “Serena’s with me,” Mia told her. “And Kevin’s looking for you.” 

“See if you can contact him and tell him to meet me at the cave,” Maria stated. “I’ll tell him right away!” Mia replied, hanging the line. 

“Maria, don’t worry about me!” Jayden insisted, his green eyes looking at her in fear. “Emily! You need to help Emily!” 

The Purple Ranger glanced around the area before finding the Yellow Ranger laid on the ground, unmoving. She narrowed her eyes, finding it odd that her Ranger aura was gone. She ran towards the Yellow Ranger, hoping it wasn’t what she was thinking. 

Antonio and Mike exchanged blows before noticing the Purple Ranger approaching the Yellow Ranger. He pushed Mike off his blade and rushed towards Maria, sheathing his blade. The Green Ranger noted that the Gold Ranger was gone from sight before glancing at Maria. “Watch out!” 

Maria felt a shift in the air and summoned her SpinSword in time, blocking the Gold Ranger’s attack. She skidded the muddy ground as sparks flew from both their blades. “Antonio,” Maria began, her eyes wide in shock. “Ah, Maria Abukara,” Antonio replied, a sneer appearing on his face. “You came to join the party!” 

“What the hell are you doing?” Maria asked, clenching her jaw. “Glad you asked the question, lightning princess!” Antonio teased. “I’m doing what I was meant to do!” The Gold Ranger pushed off her blade and slashed at her. Maria converted her SpinSword into her Lightning Kama’s, blocking his attack. “Doing what? Hurting your friends?” Maria answered. 

“No, no, Jayden was just in the way,” Antonio smirked. “My goal here was to kill the Yellow Ranger.” 

The Purple Ranger’s eyes went wide in horror, shaking her head. The Green Ranger overheard the conversation and glanced at the Yellow Ranger who laid on the ground unmoving. 

“I’m pretty sure, you noticed it by now,” Antonio continued, chuckling darkly. 

Mike shook his head and rushed towards the Yellow Ranger, grabbing her body. But she went limp in his grasp, her clothes bathed in her own blood, feeling too cold, indicating her death. “No,” Mike whispered, shaking his head in shock. “No, no! Emily, Em, can’t be dead!” 

He hugged her tightly as tears streamed down his closed eyes, teeth clenched in anger. “EMILY!” he cried out. 

Maria turned to glance at the Gold Ranger, who pushed away from her kama, hearing the Green Ranger screaming in sorrow. “What have you done?” she declared, her hazel eyes flaring in anger. 

“What had to be done,” Antonio replied, sheathing his blade. “My Sanzu tainted blade can kill anyone in an instant, especially if I hit the vital points. Poor Emily didn’t have a chance.” 

“You don’t know what you’ve done,” Maria growled angrily. “Then change back time, time Ranger,” Antonio sneered. “Or don’t. Instead, cry like the feeble Ranger you are. Just like when I died. Sit back, relax and watch your friends die around you once more!” 

Maria clenched her teeth, slamming a punch to his cheek, causing him to stagger in shock. “I don’t know what shit, Ami has been brainwashing you with,” Maria declared. “But you don’t know anything about the future I was in.” 

“Really?” Antonio spat back. “Ami opened my eyes to see the  _ real  _ you. She showed me how I died, how much you loved me, yet you didn’t change back time to save me!” 

Maria’s eyes went wide in shock and shook her head. “She showed you your death.”

“She showed me how you failed to protect us!” Antonio yelled at her, raising his blade towards her. The Purple Ranger swung her kama at his shoulder hooking him with her blade. The Gold Ranger cried out in shock and pain as he grabbed the purple ribbon from her kama. 

“You think with her just showing you a possible future, makes you know everything about me?” Maria declared. 

“Just seeing that piece is enough for me,” the Gold Ranger declared. The Purple Ranger looked at him sadly and whispered, “You don’t even know my side of the story.” Antonio glared at her as the Purple Ranger made her Lightning Kama’s disappear. The Gold Ranger grabbed his bleeding shoulder and shook his head. “You won’t have the guts to kill me.” 

Maria glanced at him and stated, “Then you really don’t know anything about me.” She turned away from the Gold Ranger, not once looking back. 

The Gold Ranger was about to go after her, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ami behind him, a smile plastered on her face. “Let us go. Our work here is done.” Both disappeared through a gap.

* * *

Maria ran towards the Green Ranger, skidding the floor as she kneeled down. 

“He killed her!” Mike sobbed, uncontrollably. “She’s dead!” Maria touched Emily’s neck, finding no pulse. 

She was really dead. Gone forever.

Maria clenched her fists angrily, knowing this was Ami’s fault. “I’m sorry. I failed in keeping all of you alive.” 

The Green Ranger clenched his fists before glancing at her, devastation splattered across his face. “Maria, please! I beg you! Change back time! Change it back! Change it so Emily doesn’t die!” 

The Purple Ranger glanced at him, flinching back, seeing those same eyes  _ they _ all had when they began to die. The sadness and pain were all the same. 

“You have the power to change time!” Mike yelled at her. “Use it!” 

“I can’t,” Maria began. “If I do, there could be dire consequences.” 

_ Then you’ll have to live with the guilt that you could’ve brought her back! _

Mike clenched his fists and screamed, “Aren’t you tired of losing your friends and failing again! Knowing you had the power to save them?!” 

_ Knowing you had the power to take away our pain! _

Tears continued to cascade down his face and croaked, “She was my first love! She was the love of my life! And she got torn away from me! Bring her back!” 

_ If you don’t do it, then what good are you? _

Maria looked at her hands, noticing they were shaking. She was having flashbacks of the Rangers asking her to do the impossible. 

Mike screamed at her, “Why are you hesitating?! Wasn’t she your friend too!” 

_ They all thought of you as their friend, why are you betraying them like this?! _

“She thought of you as her hero! She wanted to help you defeat Ami! She was tired of feeling helpless as you fought  _ her _ battles!” Mike continued. “She wanted to make her sister proud as the Yellow Ranger!” 

_ They all had hopes and dreams like you! _

“Why don’t you bring her back?!” Mike yelled at her. 

_ You only think of the timeline and not the others feelings! _

Maria felt overwhelmed from his shouting and backed away from the Green Ranger. “I-can’t…” she told him. 

The earth rumbled underneath their feet as the vortex of energy began to eat up parts of the ground. 

“I need to take you and the others to Iyashinomizu,” Maria declared, changing the subject. 

“I thought you were our friend,” Mike shouted at her. “But Kevin was right. He was right to doubt you! You’re nothing like Tashiko! You’re a monster!” 

Maria froze at that statement but didn’t say anything. 

Maybe she was a selfish, horrible monster.

* * *

Dekker washed his face at a river, cleaning himself from the dirt and blood that clung onto him. He reached into the water, dipping his hands to splash more water into his face when he saw Serrator’s reflection. 

The Half-Nighloks eyes went wide as Serrator’s voice echoed in his head. 

_ “The one to crack open the world, must be someone who feels the pain of both human and the Netherworld _ . _ But belongs to neither _ . _ ”  _

_ Serrator smirked at him and pointed at Dekker. “That’s you.” _

Dekker angrily splashed the reflection away and waved towards the shore. He raked a hand through his hair, not knowing what to do. He decided to walk away from the river to avoid seeing Serrator in the water. He trekked through the forest before noticing a burnt foundation of what used to be a house. 

Dekker noticed it looked familiar and walked around it, circling it. “Why does this place look….familiar?” His mind suddenly flashed back to a burning house, hearing screams of a desperate woman calling his name. 

His thoughts were broken when he heard footsteps approaching him. “Strange to find you here,” came a voice. Dekker didn’t have to turn around to know it was Dayu but remained silent. 

“Do you….remember this place?” Dayu pressed, placing a hand on Dekker’s shoulder. 

Dekker shrugged off her arm and stated, “I don’t know why I came here.”

Dayu pulled her hand away and murmured, “You must be feeling something. Something that led you here.” 

Dekker’s brow furrowed, digging deep into his memories, hoping that something might trigger it. But nothing came up, his mind was blank. “I feel nothing,” he replied, turning around to face Dayu. “Nothing at all.” 

The Half-Nighlok stormed past her, leaving a distressed Dayu behind. She watched him leave in grief and whispered, “If only you could remember.” Her mind flashed back when she made the deal with Serrator, reviving her beloved only to turn him into a monster. She let out a sorrowful sigh and walked away, leaving behind the burnt house,  _ their  _ home behind. 


	44. Going Back in Time

When Kevin and Hideo had arrived at the battlefield, they were too late. 

Maria was trying to heal Jayden, who had lost consciousness. Mike was so grief stricken, that he could barely speak as he held Emily in his arms. They didn’t know what had happened and were confused seeing them in sorrow. 

“What happened?” Kevin demanded, approaching the Purple Ranger. “Mia called me about us heading to Iyashinomizu…” He trailed off when he saw the bloodied Emily in Mike’s arms. “Emily…” The Blue Ranger rushed to the Green Ranger and asked, “What happened?”

Mike was deep in his despair that he didn’t answer Kevin’s question. He was dazed as he hugged Emily’s dead body tightly in his arms. 

“What happened?” Kevin repeated, glancing at the Purple Ranger. 

The Purple Ranger removed her hands from Jayden’s wounds and sighed, getting to her feet. “I will tell you when we arrive at the cave,” Maria told him coldly. “I believe everyone needs to hear this.” 

Kevin looked at her confused, but didn’t question her further. He gently patted Mike’s back and glanced at Hideo, who nodded. The Blue Ranger turned away and gently picked up Jayden while Hideo approached Mike, helping him to his feet. The Half-Nighlok felt a pang of anger and sadness overwhelming him, seeing the Yellow Ranger dead in Mike’s arms. 

Hideo turned away from Emily’s peaceful face, knowing that this wasn’t supposed to happen. He glanced at Maria, whose hazel eyes were burning in anger as she clenched her jaw. The Half-Nighloks eyes narrowed and began to think what had happened when it was interrupted when the Purple Ranger raised her Samuraizer. 

“Iyashinomizu.” 

The Purple Ranger had teleported the six people into the Cave of Healing Waters.

* * *

Mentor Ji, Mia and Serena were already waiting for them at the entrance of the cave. Maria didn’t need to know that Hideo had given them access to the cave, so she wasn’t surprised. 

Mia rushed towards Kevin, seeing him carrying the Red Ranger in his arms. She checked him over and stated, “He doesn’t have much time. The poison is spreading quickly.” 

“Come with me,” Hideo told her. “There’s a small, shallow pool where he can lay while the waters purge the poison out of his system.” Both Rangers gave a nod while the Half-Nighlok led them away from the others. 

“Emily!” Serena gasped out, observing her sister bloodied in Mike’s arms. She approached him and touched her sister, recoiling back when she felt her sister’s cold arm. “Emily?” The White Ranger touched her sister’s face, noticing how pale she was and shook her head in shock. “No…” 

“She’s dead,” Mike whispered, his green eyes dull. “He killed her.” 

Serena looked at him, her brown eyes wide in horror. “Serrator killed her? He killed my baby sister?” 

“No,” Maria interrupted, making the White Ranger glance at her. “Antonio did.” 

A silence overcame the cave, causing everyone to look at her in horror. 

“What?” Serena asked, her voice growing angry. “Antonio killed my sister? Why would he kill my sister?” Angry tears began to stream down her face and she clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. “That! That can’t be right!” 

“It’s true!” Mike snarled at her, breaking out of his daze. “He also shredded Jayden and was about to kill him too!” The Green Ranger clenched his teeth in hatred. “I’m going to kill him!” 

“Antonio is a sweet goofball, why would he kill Emily?” Mia pointed out. “Because he’s a monster!” Mike growled at her. “He killed her in cold blood! Ask Jayden! He probably witnessed it all! He fought Antonio!” The Green Ranger glanced at Emily and shouted, “He doesn’t care about us! He’s become one of them!” 

“I doubt it,” Mia began, puzzled about the situation. 

“If he was one of us, why would he kill my sister?!” Serena shouted at her. “Hey, we need to calm down,” Kevin declared. “I know right now you two are angry, but that isn’t going to help resolve the situation.” 

“The solution is to put an end to his life, like he did to Emily!” Mike yelled. 

“No,” Maria stated, glaring at the Green Ranger. 

“Oh? So you don’t want to change time, but you want to keep your killer boyfriend alive?!” Mike snarled at her. 

Serena glanced at her and growled, “Why don’t you want to change back time? Are you siding with that  _ killer _ ? Is that it? Were you messing with my sister’s feelings so you could backstab her with Antonio?” 

“Do you really think I wanted Emily to die?” Maria asked, turning to the White Ranger. 

“I don’t even know if I can trust you anymore,” Serena spat at her. 

“Stop,” Kevin ordered, glaring at all of them. “Emily’s death is painful, but we need to think clearly.” 

“Yeah, easy for you to say,” Mike shouted at the Blue Ranger. “The love of your life wasn’t ripped from your arms!” 

“Hey, I’m not saying that Emily’s death isn’t causing me to grieve,” Kevin retaliated. “She was like a little sister to me. It hurts seeing her dead in your arms!” 

“Really now? Cause you sure don’t look like it!” Mike cried out. 

“ENOUGH!” Mentor Ji shouted, slamming his stick into the ground. The Rangers glanced at him, whose eyes sparkled in sadness and anger. “We are all hurt by Emily's death, but we cannot fight each other because of it.” 

The Rangers turned away from each other, glancing away.   
  
Mentor Ji looked at the Purple Ranger and declared, “I know the reasons why the Purple Ranger chose not to travel back in time. It is not because she wants to, but because it is too dangerous. Have you all heard of the butterfly effect?” 

“Of course, it’s in all the science books,” Serena murmured angrily. “What does that have to do with Emily?” 

“If Maria were to travel back in time and save Emily, what would guarantee that something else wouldn’t change?” Mentor Ji told her. “It might not be Emily who died, but Jayden. Or both? Maybe we could save the Yellow Ranger, but our future could turn out like Maria’s. If a small change could change something in the future, imagine changing Emily’s fate would do?” 

“That isn’t fair Mentor,” Mike interrupted. “Maria has the power. I don’t care about the consequences! I want her back!” 

“We all want her back,” Mentor Ji nodded. “But maybe we should let nature take its course.” 

“So we leave her dead?!” Serena shouted in shock. “How could you have the heart to say that?!” 

“I’ll do it,” Maria interrupted them, causing the Rangers to glance at her. 

“What?” Hideo began, looking at Maria in shock. The Purple Ranger had a grim look in her face and took out her Samuraizer. 

“You can’t!” Kevin stated, shaking his head. “There can be dire consequences!”

“It’s too dangerous,” Mentor Ji declared. 

“I’ve time travelled before,” Maria told them. “I can do it again.” Hideo grabbed her arm and shook his head. “Last time you time travelled, it was a one way trip. If you do it again and change Emily’s fate, you can’t go back to this timeline. You’ll create a different timeline, you can create time paradoxes!”

“I have to try,” Maria replied, her hazel eyes holding a deep guilt and sadness. “I came back to save Antonio and look what happened. I’ve already created a new timeline by avoiding his death and look at the consequences. Maybe if I try to go back, I can avoid this.” 

“Maria, please,” Hideo began but noticed her determined look. He knew there was no way to change her mind and looked away. The Purple Ranger reached into the purple sash around her waist and took out one of Tashiko’s ribbons. She gave it to Hideo, who took it from her hand. “This is to remind you that I went back, in case something changes.” 

The Purple Ranger looked at the Rangers and stated, “I’ll be back in a few moments.” 

“Good luck,” Mia told her, hugging Kevin. Serena covered her face as more tears flowed down her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. Mike gave her a nod and glanced at Emily, hope fluttering in his eyes. “Be safe,” Kevin stated as Maria took out her Samuraizer. 

“Hopefully I will,” Maria told him, writing out the kanji she never thought she would ever write again. “Time Portal!” 

There was a flash of purple and the Purple Ranger disappeared from sight.

* * *

Maria appeared in the black void of time, darkness enveloping her. The Purple Ranger floated in the black abyss of the time stream before clasping her hands together, opening them, revealing all the times; past, present and future. 

She looked around her, trying to locate the moment Antonio had killed Emily. 

_ Elur Rekaerb!  _

Maria could hear a time spirit whispering around her and ignored it. Her eye caught the moment she needed to go back too, seeing the scene take place. She witnessed how Antonio tried to kill Dekker, only for Emily to run towards him to stop him. There was a bright gold light as the Gold Ranger did his Slash Maneuver on the Yellow Ranger, hitting all her vital points. 

Maria felt a pang in her heart, not believing that the Gold Ranger had killed her, but there was no denying it.

The scene before her was enough evidence for his act. 

_ Dehsinup eb ot era uoy!  _ A time spirit chanted around her.  _ Secnueqesnoc erid eb lliw ereht! _

Maria waved off the ball of light that floated around her and focused on the scene before her. 

_ Enilemit eht lliw siht kniht uoy! _ , another time spirit stated. 

Maria closed her eyes as a bright white light covered her.

* * *

“I’m not defending him!” Emily screamed out in shock.

Antonio stopped laughing and glared at Emily, slowly approaching her. “Then why are you against me killing him? He tried to kill all of us, one time or another. He wants to kill my best friend! Why not just put him out of his misery?” 

Emily looked at him terrified and whispered, “Because this isn’t you. You aren’t a killer.”

Antonio eyed her puzzled and took a few steps back confused, touching his head. He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth before opening them again, his eyes growing dull. “If you really believe that, you don’t know me at all.” 

Emily saw him inch towards Dekker, making her run towards him. “No! Don’t!” 

Maria watched as Antonio sheathed his blade, ready to begin his slash maneuver on the Yellow Ranger. “NO!” Maria shouted, rushing towards the Yellow Ranger. The Purple Ranger took out her Samuraizer, writing her time freeze symbol but it wouldn’t cast in time. Maria teleported towards the Yellow Ranger, summoning her SpinSword but the Gold Ranger rushed past them, smiling at her. 

“Maria?” Emily stated in alarm, surprised to find her in front of her. The Purple Ranger was puzzled why Antonio had run past them before noticing him heading towards Jayden. “NO!” she shouted, not believing her eyes when the Gold Ranger flipped his blade around, stabbing through Jayden’s neck, killing him. 

Emily gasped out horrified and covered her mouth in shock. Maria’s hazel eyes went wide in terror as the Gold Ranger got to his feet, turning to the Purple and Yellow Rangers. “Don’t you think I sensed you there, Maria Abukara? Ami told me how you would try to change back time, so I am prepared. No matter how many times you’ll time travel back, I will kill either Emily or Jayden. Maybe even you.” 

“Bastard!” Maria declared, raising her Samuraizer again. “I just have to be fast enough!” She threw a time symbol again, rewinding time back where she first appeared, observing Antonio and Emily talk. 

_ Dammit, I need to think of another strategy! _ Maria thought. She tried to get to her feet, but felt a shot of pain go through her and felt something coming out of her nose. Maria touched her nose and saw her fingers tainted in blood.  _ I don’t have much time. _

She witnessed Antonio sheathing his blade once more and raised her Samuraizer, casting a time symbol. 

But it was too late. 

His blade had already hit a vital point. Even if she unfroze time, she would bleed to death before the others could come to help.  _ Dammit! _ Maria thought, raising her Samuraizer again. She rewinded time again, more blood pouring out of her nose. Her head was beginning to ache but she had to try to save Emily. 

The other’s were counting on her. 

Maria shot forward once again, this time, pushing Emily out of the way. 

But that caused Antonio to land his slash maneuver on her. Maria felt the blade slicing through her skin like butter, making her collapse into the ground. She tried to get to her feet, but struggled as Emily got to her feet, grabbing her head. 

The Gold Ranger narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue. “Hmm, seems Ami was right. You would try to save the Yellow Ranger.” He approached Maria, kneeling down and grabbed her face, noticing her nosebleed. “Multiple times it seems. Too bad it is futile.” 

Maria glared at him whispering, “This isn’t you.” 

“But it is,” Antonio told her while Emily looked at them confused. The Gold Ranger sheathed his blade. 

Maria didn’t even see him move, only saw blood spurting from the Yellow Ranger’s throat as she collapsed into the ground, dead. 

“NO!” Maria shouted, her hazel eyes wide in horror. 

“No matter how many times you go back, I will kill her,” Antonio proclaimed, making Maria look at him horrified. “You can’t save her.”

“NO! It can’t end like this!” Maria cried out. 

_ Kcab emoc ton lliw ehs! Krow tnow it! Eruliaf! Eruliaf!  _ the time spirits chanted appearing around her. 

“There isn’t a way,” Antonio smirked at her. “It’s her fate to die.” 

“NO! She has to be saved! She can’t die!” Maria yelled out. 

Antonio unsheathed his blade and raised it above the Purple Ranger. “Lights out, Maria.” 

Maria’s eyes widened in horror, taking out her Samuraizer in time and teleported away from the Gold Ranger. 

Antonio snickered and sheathed his blade, walked towards her. “No matter how far you run, I will get you!” 

The Purple Ranger’s hands trembled as she felt the poison spreading across her wounds. “I have to go back,” she declared, raising her Samuraizer. “Dammit! I-I have to let Emily die to set the timeline right again!” 

Maria clenched her hands angrily, not believing she couldn’t do anything to save the Yellow Ranger. No matter what angle she approached the situation, the Gold Ranger was one step ahead of her. 

With a heavy heart, she rewinded back time to the original timeline.


	45. Despair

The Rangers had barely blinked when Maria had gone through the portal when a portal opened up again. 

There was a bright purple light casted upon the cave, confusing the Rangers before Maria landed on the ground, struggling to stand. 

“Maria!” Kevin called out in alarm. The Pink Ranger rushed towards her and noticed her wounds similar to Jayden’s. “What happened?” Hideo asked, running towards her. 

“I failed,” Maria told them as Mia helped her to her feet. 

“What?” Mike snarled, clenching his fists. “That’s why nothing has changed? Why is she still  _ dead! _ ” 

“Mike!” Kevin yelled, glaring at him. 

“I tried saving her, but Antonio was one step ahead of me,” Maria declared. “Ami probably told him that I would try to travel back in time.” 

“Wait, Ami knows of your time travel powers?” Mentor Ji questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Let’s just say Ami and I go way back,” Maria replied, clutching her wounds. “She’s studied the Samurai Ranger’s long enough that she can know any weakness.” 

“So, there’s no change Emily can live,” Serena whispered, her eyes filling up with tears again. “She’s meant to die.” The White Ranger turned away from the others, walking towards her sister’s dead body. Maria glanced at the ground while Mia looked at her sympathetically. “Don’t worry, you tried,” Mia whispered, her eyes filling up with tears as well. 

The Pink Ranger led the Purple Ranger towards the shallow pool where Jayden lay in. Hideo noticed the Rangers were all broken and clenched his staff tightly in his hands. 

“I might know a way to bring someone from the dead without the need of travelling back.”

Mia stopped turning to face Hideo, while Maria’s eyes widened. She knew what he was going to say and she didn’t like it one bit. She turned around to look at him and warned, “Hideo, no!” 

The Rangers looked at the Purple Ranger and Half-Nighlok confused, noting the Purple Ranger’s guard up. 

Mike’s anger ebbed away and a glimmer of hope flapped in his chest. “What do you mean?” 

“Hideo, don’t,” Maria began, knowing what he was going to say. “There’s no other choice,” Hideo told her, seeing her anger and frightened eyes. The Purple Ranger shook her head and turned away from the Half-Nighlok. Hideo glanced at the ground before looking at the Rangers. 

“A few years ago, in our timeline, our first...Red Ranger learned of a forbidden spell, one that could bring someone back by transferring Symbol Power into the person. But it comes with a price.” 

“What’s the price?” Mia asked worriedly. 

“Your own life,” Maria declared as the Rangers eyes went wide. “It’s called the forbidden spell of reanimation,  _ Kinsho Tensei _ . The one who casts the symbol, dies after transferring its life force into another.” 

The Rangers exchanged glances, understanding why the Purple Ranger had gotten defensive. “Basically trading a life for another,” Mentor Ji nodded, grimly. 

“I’ll do it,” came a voice, making the Rangers glance at the Red Ranger, who was getting out of the pool. Mentor Ji’s eyes went wide, while the other Ranger’s looked horrified. Hideo and Maria exchanged glances, knowing why he wanted to do it. He wasn’t the real Red Ranger, but that didn’t mean he had to die. 

“Jayden, you can’t,” Mia began, shaking her head. 

“What about the Sealing Symbol?” Kevin asked worriedly. 

The Red Ranger glanced at the ground and was about to speak when Mentor Ji interrupted, “If you do it, Emily will never forgive herself.” 

“Mentor’s right,” Serena nodded. “I’ll gladly do it if it means bringing Emily back,” Jayden declared. “No,” Hideo proclaimed. “I’ll do it.”

The Rangers looked at Hideo surprised. “But,” Jayden began but Hideo shook his head. “I know why you want to do it, but I believe you aren’t the right choice. Besides, I know the forbidden spell and I would gladly die for Emily.” He noticed Serena’s eyes watering while Mike looked at him relieved. 

“I think it’s time to have her back.”

* * *

The Rangers had gathered around in a circle where Emily lay. Maria was a little ways off, washing her cuts with the healing water. She wasn’t in good terms with Hideo’s decision but what choice did they have? She grunted as the healing water purged the poison from her cuts and glanced at the Rangers. 

Serena’s eyes watered, her heart feeling torn in half. She was going to gain her sister back but at the same time, she was going to lose her friend. 

Hideo glanced at her, offering her a smile but she responded by hugging him tightly. “Thank you,” She whispered, tears cascading down her face. The Half-Nighlok hugged her back tightly and whispered in her ear, “Serena, please, take care of yourself. Protect your sister with all your might.” 

“I will, I promise you that!” Serena sobbed, breaking away from the hug. 

Hideo glanced at the other Rangers and declared, “Rangers, take care of yourselves. Take care of Maria for me, will you?” The Rangers all nodded in agreement, making Hideo smile. He let out a sigh and murmured, “Before I do this, there’s something I need to reveal to you.” 

The Rangers observed him puzzled as he changed into his human self. 

Long brown hair cascaded down his shoulders and a brown goatee appeared on his face. His ripped green shirt revealed many scars that criss crossed his chest, making the Rangers gasp at the familiarity of the Half-Nighlok. 

“No, no way!” Mike whispered, shaking his head. 

Hideo glanced at the Rangers and stated, “You’ve all known that I was from the future, but I’ve never shown you my true human side. I am Mike, the Green Ranger from the year 2020, a half-Ranger Half-Nighlok.” 

The Samurai Rangers watched him wide eyed before glancing at Mike, who swallowed nervously. “H-How?” Mike asked shakingly. “How did I end up….”

“Like this?” Hideo finished, raising his arms. “It’s a long story, one that I cannot tell you, as my timeline doesn’t exist anymore.” 

“If you became this, why did you change your name?” Mike asked. 

“Because when I became this, I felt...hideous. I had become a monster. I took up the name,  _ Hideo _ ,” Hideo explained. 

Hideo approached Mike and touched his shoulder, making the Green Ranger look at his future self. “But I’ll tell you this, past me. I hope that you’ll protect Emily with all your might. Enjoy being together, because I never had the chance to. Enjoy being a Ranger and fight to destroy the Nighlok from this world. Do the job I never got to do.” 

Mike felt a few tears slip down his face and touched his cheek, wondering why he was crying. Hideo smiled at him, making Mike look at him. He noticed his future self’s green eyes that were full of pain and sadness, understanding what he had to do.    


“I will,” Mike answered with a nod. “I will protect Emily and the world as the Green Ranger!” 

Hideo smiled at him, nodding. “That’s good to hear.” He turned to the rest of the Rangers and stated seriously, “Please, defeat the Nighlok. Don’t let this timeline become the one I escaped from!” 

“We will,” Jayden nodded. “That’s a promise.” 

Hideo kneeled down and gently touched Emily’s check, a few tears brimming his eyes. “I will finally do one thing right out of all my wrongs.” 

Maria got to her feet, her heart tightening. 

Hideo took in a deep breath and raised his broken scepter.  _ Don’t worry Em, I will finally see you on the other side. _

He then began to write the forbidden spell, a gold glow enveloping him and the Yellow Ranger. 

Emily’s wounds began to heal slowly, making Serena tear up in hope. 

Maria wanted to look away from the scene before her, but she couldn’t. She watched as the light began to fade away from Hideo’s eyes while Emily began to look alive.

The Purple Ranger felt an ache in heart, grow more painful and without knowing, a few tears escaped her eyes. 

Her long time friend and companion was dying before her eyes. 

Emily’s eyes slowly began to open, making the Rangers gasp out in relief and rush towards her. 

Hideo backed away, wavering, making the Purple Ranger run towards him, catching him before he hit the ground. 

“Serena?” Emily murmured quietly as Serena hugged her tightly sobbing. “You’re okay!” Mike whispered, kissing her forehead. The Rangers laughed happily, hugging Emily while Maria hugged Hideo. 

The Half-Nighlok noticed Maria had caught him and was trembling as she held him in his arms. Hideo watched the Rangers hugging Emily, the despair fading from their eyes. A glow surrounded the Half-Nighlok, knowing his time was up and he was going to vanish forever. Hideo smiled a few tears forming on his eyes and glanced at Maria, observing the tears escaping her hazel eyes. 

Hideo touched Maria’s cheek, chuckling lightly. “This is the first time I’ve seen you cry ever since that day. Ever since  _ he _ died, you never once shed another tear.” 

Maria touched the hand touching her cheek, wanting to stop the tears from flowing down her face but couldn’t. “Don’t cry,” Hideo told her, his voice growing weaker. “I did what was best for them, for you. Please, don’t blame yourself for my choice.” 

“I can’t,” Maria whispered back. “The ache in my heart, it’s so painful…” 

“Let yourself have feelings Maria,” Hideo continued. “Don’t be the cold hearted warrior you’ve become. Be the warrior I knew when I met you.”

“I can’t,” Maria shook her head. “This is who I am now. I can’t bare seeing another Ranger die again.” 

“This isn’t who you are,” Hideo pointed out. “I’m not dead. I’m still here, this time, I’ll be happy. I won’t suffer anymore with this blood-lustful Nighlok side. While I die, Mike from this timeline will live on. He will be the one to protect Emily. I was only in the shadows, while he fought in the light.” 

“It’s not the same!” Maria cried out, squeezing his hand. “We grew up together! We worked together as a team!” 

“And you’ll do the same,” Hideo replied, his eyes beginning to close. “You’ll write a new story with them. A better….one….” Hideo reached out towards her, kissing her in the forehead. Maria looked at him as he gave her a smile. His hand fell from her face, his eyes closing as he let out his last breath. 

The Rangers watched as he began to disappear from the Purple Ranger’s arms. “Hideo!” Maria cried out, extending her hand at the vanishing golden light. Her eyes wide in shock as tears continued to cascade down her face. Her last friend, her last Ranger, perished for the sake of the Yellow Ranger. 

The Purple Ranger’s hand dropped down in shock. 

Serena covered her mouth as more tears continued to fall down her face. “What happened?” Emily whispered, disoriented. “Don’t worry,” Serena told her sister, wiping the tears from her face. “Everything is fine now.” 

“We should head to the Shiba House,” Mike nodded, glancing at Mentor Ji. 

Jayden could see the Purple Ranger still trying to grasp the thought her friend had died in her arms before she shakily got up and left the cave. “Maria, wait!” Jayden called out to her, running after the Purple Ranger. 

Mia glanced at Kevin, who nodded. “We’ll stay here, the rest of you should head back,” Kevin told them. Mia gave him a kiss on the lips before taking out her Samuraizer, teleporting the rest of the Rangers to the Shiba House.

* * *

The Purple Ranger could feel her injuries still flaring in pain, but she didn’t care. The ache in her heart was in bigger agony than her injuries. 

She headed outside of the cave, where the rain continued to fall before collapsing into the muddy ground. She bit her lip before letting out an anguished filled scream that was full of sadness, anger, helplessness, one she had held back for so long. 

Maria had never felt this kind of pain ever since she had witnessed Jayden get killed by Xandred. But this time, she had lost her longtime companion, her last friend, forever. 

“Dammit!” Maria cried out, slamming a hand into the muddy ground. “He’s gone! I’ve lost them all! The Rangers I knew are all dead!” 

“I’m a failure!” 

“Every time I think I do a right, I do a wrong,” Maria sobbed. “I was a stupid girl in accepting being the Purple Samurai Ranger. Ever since I agreed to become this, I’ve caused death and destruction!” 

The rain continued to soak her to the bone, but she didn’t care.

“I brought Ami into this timeline, bringing Emily and Hideo’s deaths,” Maria murmured. “I am cursed to suffer and the ones around me. I will never get the happiness I’ve longed for.” She glanced at the grey sky and whispered, “Why did you bring me back to life Lauren?” 

_“My Raikou-hime, you know why_ ,” came a gentle voice. 

The Purple Ranger noticed a figure with red robes and familiar white flowers had appeared in front of her. Maria’s hazel eyes went wide, recognizing the kimono. The young woman with long blonde hair with a red ribbon tied around her ponytail that cascaded down her back, gave her a warm smile. 

“Kaisoko-hime,” Maria whispered, a few tears escaping her cheeks. 

The blonde woman extended her hand towards the Purple Ranger and stated, _“Raikou-hime, do you remember the day I died.”_

_ “Why?!” Maria shouted, holding Lauren’s dying hand as she struggled to breathe. “Oh, Raikou-hime,” Lauren whispered, her green eyes glancing at her. “I have a feeling that one day, you’ll find the happiness you’ve been aching for all these years.”  _

_ Her eyes dulled as she weakly raised her hand and touched her cheek. “The happiness of feeling whole once more. I know you’ve suffered throughout these years, wanting to have a family, wanting to feel loved.” Lauren smiled at her, a few tears escaping her eyes. “You’re so close in obtaining it, you deserve it more than I do. I’ve done too many wrongs in this world and this is the price I’ll pay. Please, Raikou-hime, take care of my brother. Both of you are the things I cherish the most, the things I love…” _

_ Maria grabbed at the hand that touched her cheek, as Lauren’s head rolled to the side.  _

_“Have you not found the happiness you’ve been looking for?_ ” Kaisoko-hime questioned. 

“Happiness?” Maria echoed, laughing nervously. “I’ve suffered worse than when I was an orphan. At least then, I didn’t have to worry about the weight of being a time Ranger.” She grabbed her face and sobbed, “Why didn't you let me die? I shouldn’t have suffered all this time. Seeing my friends die around me, while having all the power to change it all, but even then, fate plays against me.” 

_“Are you just going to give up?”_ Kaisoko-hime asked, touching Maria’s cheek. “ _Do you think I would have given my life for you, so you would throw it away that easily?”_ Maria touched her hand and shook her head. “You shouldn’t have thrown your life away for a measly abandoned child,” Maria whispered. “You had so much to live for.” 

_“I did,”_ the fire princess answered. _“But when I chose to do the forbidden spell on you, I foresaw your future. I saw the grandiose warrior you would become, the one to defeat all odds against her. A powerful warrior that would fight with her last breath to fight what was right.”_

“ _But now, all I see is a broken warrior,”_ Kaisoko-hime answered. _“One who has lost all hope, one who decides to die instead to fight. Why?”_

“I’ve lost everything,” Maria murmured. “Hideo was my last tie to my timeline.” 

_“Yes, but you’ve also gained,_ ” Kaisoko-hime pointed out. _“You’ve made friends.”_

“Tashiko’s not mine,” Maria shook her head. 

“ _You are Tashiko,”_ Kaisoko-hime stated, poking her head. _“But you’re also Maria. You are both one of the same. Don’t let yourself be separate when you are the same person.”_ Kaisoko-hime kissed her forehead and declared, _“Don’t let your past cloud what’s in front of you, embrace the new future that’s being laid out to you.”_

Maria watched the fire princess fade away from sight before closing her eyes in despair.


	46. Plan of Attack

“Look, all my injuries are all gone. I’m fine,” Emily whined as Mentor Ji checked over her. 

Three days had passed ever since Hideo had casted the reanimation symbol on Emily, reviving her. The Yellow Ranger acted as lively as ever, making the Rangers extremely happy. They had given Hideo a memorial in the Shiba House, carving a memorial stone honoring his name. The Rangers had told Emily that he had died by Serrator, hiding the real truth from her. 

“Maria healed me didn’t she?” Emily continued, checking over any injuries. She noticed Serena who was going through some papers and exchanged glances with Mentor Ji. The Mentor looked uncomfortable and gave Emily a nod. “You check out. I’m going to check something.” He left the infirmary making Emily glance at her sister. 

“Did I say something wrong?” 

“No, you’re fine Em,” Serena answered. Emily got off the medical bed and crossed her arms across her chest. “Why is everyone avoiding my questions like the plague?” 

“It’s your imagination,” Serena told her, poking her forehead. She walked away from the Yellow Ranger and picked up some new clothes. Emily noticed the purple clothes and knew right away, they were for Maria. 

“Is she okay?” Emily asked, making Serena turn to glance at her. “Who?” the White Ranger inquired before seeing Emily pointing at the clothes she had in her hand. “Yeah, she’s better,” Serena nodded. “Mentor approved that she could leave the infirmary now.” 

“Do you mind if I take the clothes to her?” Emily declared, making Serena blink. 

“No, not at all.” 

“Thanks!” Emily cheerfully stated, taking the clothes from Serena’s hands and left the room. The White Ranger chuckled, shaking her head.

* * *

The Yellow Ranger entered the other infirmary room, finding the Purple Ranger sitting on the bed with her eyes closed. Emily noticed she was meditating and didn’t know whether to stay or leave. She was about to turn around to leave but heard the Purple Samurai speak. 

“Emily, what brings you here?” 

The Yellow Ranger turned around and was surprised to find the Purple Samurai with her eyes still closed. “Oh, Serena was going to bring you clothes, but I decided to bring them for you.” 

The Purple Ranger grunted in response, continuing her meditation. 

Emily turned around to leave but bit her lip nervously. She wanted to tell Maria how bad she felt about Hideo dying and wanted to ask her if she was okay. She stood on her tippy toes before turning back around. 

“I heard the news about how Hideo died.” 

A silence overcame them with Maria furrowing her brow. 

“I just wanted to know how you’re doing,” Emily started nervously. “I can’t believe you lost your friend…. I’m so sorry.” 

Maria opened her eyes and looked at Emily, giving her a small smile. “It hurts that he’s gone, you know? But at the end, it was his choice. He did what he thought was best.” 

The Yellow Ranger cocked her head to the side, confused on what Maria meant. She shook her head and stated, “I don’t know what you did after Antonio attacked me. Everything went dark, but yet, you saved me, again.” 

Maria glanced at Emily, looking at her confused. “What do you mean?” 

The Yellow Ranger smiled at her and stated, “You healed my injuries. Serena told me that I almost died but you exhausted your Symbol Power saving me and travelling back in time to try to save Hideo.” 

Maria’s hazel eyes flared up in anger, clenching her fists. 

“I owe you so much,” Emily continued, not noticing Maria’s clenched jaw. “Ami tried to kill you so many times, yet, you get up and fight her again. All these times, I wasn’t there to protect you. I remember the time you promised me that you would help me fight against Ami, that you would protect me against her. You’ve done so much against her and I haven’t been able to repay that back.” 

“You’ve been kidnapped, tortured, you have had your Symbol Power severed by her, even almost killed. Yet, I haven’t done anything. When I saw you, all injured, I just reminded myself how I’ve been so weak. If I only had arrived in time to save you, you wouldn’t have been injured. If I only hadn’t hesitated before and told the Rangers the truth how Ami had me kidnapped, none of that would’ve happened.” 

“Now she’s placed Antonio against us,” Emily continued. “I know that must have hurt seeing Antonio like that. I want to help you defeat Ami so we can get our friend back.” She looked at the Purple Ranger, noticing her clenching the bed sheets. 

“Maria?” 

Maria’s thoughts were broken hearing Emily’s voice and glanced at her. She noticed that the Yellow Ranger was looking at her in concern. “Are you okay?” she asked. The Purple Ranger glanced away. How could she be okay? The Rangers had lied to Emily that Hideo had died. They didn’t tell her he died because he gave his life up to her, but because Serrator had killed him. Everyone knew the truth, why lie to her? 

The Purple Ranger closed her eyes taking deep breaths before nodding. “I’m fine.” Emily looked at her worriedly but didn’t say anything. She placed the Purple Ranger’s clothes on the edge of her bed. “Thank you,” Maria murmured, getting off the bed and taking her white kimono off.

Emily blushed embarrassed seeing how Maria had taken off her clothes without shame. But her brown eyes captivated the multiple scars she had on her back. 

Her back was embedded with the whip lashes Ami had inflicted on her while she was kidnapped. A large vertical scar was in the left side of her back as well, looking like a sword had gone through. Maria put on her qipao blouse, turning around to button it up. The Yellow Ranger noticed a large scar in her stomach that went vertically and the fresh new scar where Ami had stabbed her in the chest. 

Maria noticed Emily was staring at her scars and both Rangers made eye contact. Emily turned around embarrassed that she was caught staring at her. 

“I’m not bothered that you were looking at my scars,” Maria noted, grabbing her black battle skirt. “I didn’t mean too,” Emily apologized, her back towards the Purple Ranger. “I was just….surprised in seeing how many scars you have.” 

Maria shrugged, trying the purple sash around her waist. “I used to mind them,” Maria answered. “But now, I don’t. They’re reminders to fight stronger, train harder and avoid making the same mistakes.” 

“You’re so strong,” Emily told her with a sigh. “I wish I was like that.” 

Maria glanced at her and scoffed, a smile spreading across her face. “You are, give yourself some credit. You took down that hungry making Nighlok by yourself, remember?” Emily smiled at that and waved it off. “It was nothing, really.” 

“I think it’s something to be proud of,” Maria told her. “Taking a Nighlok by yourself isn’t easy. Trust me in that.” She noticed her boots had seen better days and opted to put on her flats. 

“Maria, I want to fight against Ami.” 

The Purple Ranger was caught off guard and turned around to glance at the Yellow Ranger. “What?”

“I want to help you fight against that Half-Nighlok,” Emily declared. 

Maria glanced at the ground, not knowing what to say. “Please don’t say no,” Emily begged. “I need to fight her. She’s done so much harm to this team and I want to make her pay.” 

The Purple Ranger looked at the Yellow Ranger, whose brown eyes burned in determination. “Fine,” Maria agreed. “But you know she’s not an easy opponent.” 

“I know,” Emily nodded. “But I will defeat her.”

* * *

The Red Ranger stood outside on the porch, watching the sun cast its rays on the Shiba House. 

His injuries had been treated but he still felt the pang of betrayal in his heart. His best friend had killed Emily and the Purple Ranger had almost gotten killed in the process to change her fate. He sighed, wondering what had gone wrong. 

Jayden turned away from the porch and went inside, where Kevin stood in the doorway, crossing his arms. “Are you okay?” the Blue Ranger asked. 

The Red Ranger shook his head. “I just watched one of my friends get murdered in front of me by my best friend. I’m far from okay.” Kevin looked at him sympathetically and asked, “We will resolve this. We will close those faults and bring Antonio back to us.” 

Jayden sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Everything is going terrible. Hideo had to die to save Emily. I felt so pathetic laid on the ground unable to help! If only I had woken up sooner..” He clenched his fists making Kevin place a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. We never would have thought that Antonio would kill Emily in cold blood. He’s more corrupt than we thought.” 

The Blue Ranger glanced away and murmured, “I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling.”

* * *

Serrator sat on his throne and glared at the Half-Nighlok in front of him. “You do know that the Purple Ranger is alive? I thought you had killed her.”

Ami clenched her jaw and declared, “I stabbed her in the chest, but she has her ways to keep herself alive. Have you ever heard of Iyashinomizu?” 

The Nighlok narrowed his eyes and clasped his hands together. “I heard of it once, many centuries ago.” 

“That’s what kept her alive,” Ami stated. “Iyashinomizu can heal any injury, even fatal ones. But it cannot bring someone from the dead. The Rangers or the traitor of Hideo took the Rangers there and healed her.” 

Serrator’s lip curled upwards. “Then you know what to do. Take the Gold Ranger and destroy that cave. I don’t want the Yellow Ranger to appear alive all of the sudden.” 

Ami smirked. “As you wish, master.” 

“Good,” Serrator nodded, getting to his feet. “Now, I’m going to find a gap to finalize in splitting the world in half.”

* * *

“We still need to fix Serrator’s faults,” Jayden told the Rangers that were gathered at the dinner table. “Anything in mind?” 

“Closing them is a start,” Mia replied, crossing her arms across her chest. “But the problem is how.”

“There has to be a way, right?” Mike stated. “I mean, wouldn’t destroying Serrator close them?” 

“We don’t know if that’ll work,” Serena added. 

“We still need to deal with Antonio,” Kevin declared. 

“The spell Ami has him under, doesn’t look anything like Madimot’s,” Jayden pointed out. “When you were...under his control.” 

The Blue Ranger shivered, remembering the time he had turned his sword against his friends. He just wondered what Antonio was feeling and felt sympathy for him. “We need to break that spell soon,” Kevin nodded. “I didn’t like when Madimot messed with my head. I can’t imagine what Antonio is feeling.” 

“How are we going to do that?” Mia asked. “Killing Ami?”

“She doesn’t seem to be mind controlling him,” Jayden murmured. “He seemed like he was himself but at the same time he wasn’t.” 

“He killed Emily for a start,” Mike growled, curling his lip. “And he seemed to have enjoyed it.” 

“She probably bathed him in Sanzu Waters,” Kevin pointed out, making everyone glance at him. “Wait, how’s that possible?” Serena asked puzzled. “I thought that anyone that got bathed in Sanzu Waters were to turn into Nighloks.” 

“Only if you cross into the Netherworld without protection,” Jayden explained. “There’s still much mystery about the Sanzu River waters.”

“Well we know we can get poisoned by the water and burned,” Mia stated. “What if it also brought out our negative side?” 

“Then we need to perform a purification symbol,” declared a voice. The Rangers turned around to see Maria and Emily walking towards the dinner table. 

“Like the one I used for Kevin,” Jayden nodded in understanding. “Yes, but this one is more powerful,” Maria stated. “We will need to merge the purification symbol with the waters at Iyashinomizu.” 

“Rangers,” Mentor Ji called out, rushing towards them. “You need to see this.” 

The Rangers got up immediately and followed their mentor towards the Common Room. Their mentor had approached the coffee table and was pulling up Panorama City’s map. 

“What’s up Mentor?” Mike asked, glancing at the older man. “Seems that Serrator’s faults are worse than we have previously thought,” Mentor Ji began. “The Sanzu River is erupting throughout all six locations. All along the line, the barrier between our world and the Netherworld is growing weaker.” 

The Rangers exchanged worried glances. 

“Is there anything we can do about this?” Mia inquired. The old man shook his head not knowing the answer. 

“The only way to stop this, is to stop Dekker,” Jayden noted, making the other Rangers nod. 

“I should’ve let Antonio kill Dekker,” Emily murmured, looking away from the map. “But I stopped him…” 

“No,” Mike shook his head, grabbing her shoulders. “You made the right call Em.”

“Mike’s right,” Kevin agreed. “If you had let Antonio kill Dekker, he would never forgive himself.” 

“I should’ve done something,” Emily replied exasperated. “It’s not the time to get worked up, Em,” Serena reassured her. “Don’t worry, we will stop the faults and get Antonio back.” 

The Gap Sensor went off, making the Rangers glance at the map before them. “It’s Serrator,” Ji pointed out, looking at the Rangers. 

“This may be our last chance to stop him,” Kevin proclaimed, glancing at Jayden. The Red Ranger glanced at Maria. “I assume you’ll take care of the Purification Symbol.” 

“I’m on it,” Maria nodded, leaving the Common Room. 

“Let us go then,” Jayden told the others, taking out his Samuraizer.


	47. Stroke of Fate

Serrator walked towards a smoking hill, where dark energy pulsed underground. 

“This is the spot,” Serrator declared. “The gap to the Netherworld is the weakest here.” He pulled out Uramasa from his sleeve and glanced at his reflection within the blade. He passed his finger along the cool metal sword and chuckled, “Once our half-human, Half-Nighlok friend, Dekker, slashes this open. This world will finally give away to the Netherworld.”

Serrator raised Uramasa in the air, who began to hum. “Now the time for Dekker has come to claim his prize.”

* * *

The Purple Ranger stood at the entrance of Iyashinomizu, hesitating to step in. Maria took in a deep breath and exhaled, knowing the last time she entered the cave, Hideo was still alive. She walked inside of the quiet cave, glancing around the area. 

The sound of the waterfall greeted her along with the sight of the glittering stalagmites. She stood in the middle of the cave, a gentle wind blowing around her raven hair. 

Maria observed the place where Hideo used to sit, meditating. A wave of sadness slammed into her, knowing that her long friend was gone forever.

_ Now it’s not the time to grieve _ , she scolded herself.  _ Hideo would not want that. I need to focus on Antonio. _

The Purple Ranger walked towards the waterfall, summoning her SpinSword and a blank disk. She jumped on top of a rock where the water misted her and wielded the sword in front of her. Maria attached the blank disk to her sword, spinning it and dipped the blade into the water. She took out her Samuraizer and began to write Purification kanji in the air.

“Fire, Water, Sky, Earth, Forest and Lightning. All come together to purge the darkness out of the light. Hear me spirits of the water! You, who have blessed this cave and purged the evil with your water! Help me in bringing the Light Samurai out of the darkness!” 

She spun the kanji in the air, a bright purple light bathing the disk, the water swirling around it as symbols began to appear in the blank disk. “Purification Symbol!” 

The disk glowed a bright white light before fading away, converting into a new disk. The water collapsed back into the small pool around the Purple Ranger. Maria took hold of the SpinSword in her hand and glanced at the disk. “Hopefully, this Purification spell will work on Antonio, or else, I don’t know what will.”

* * *

Serrator faced the smoking ground and murmured, “What’s taking you so long Dekker?” 

“Serrator!” came a yell. 

The Nighlok turned around to find the Rangers rushing towards him. “Rangers,” Serrator growled, wielding Uramasa beside him. 

“Hand over the sword!” Jayden declared. 

Serrator scoffed and raised his hand towards the Rangers. “I didn’t forge this sword to be wielded by the likes of you!” He shot a lightning blast at the Rangers, making them shout, “Go, go Samurai!” They morphed, diving out of the way to avoid being hit by Serrator’s attack. 

“Moogers!” Serrator ordered as gaps opened around him. Moogers appeared around Serrator and yelled, “Keep these pests away!” 

The Moogers screeched at the Rangers, rushing towards them. The Rangers met with them, slashing at them with ease. Jayden took out the Black Box and yelled, “Super Samurai Mode!” He converted into Super Red, summoning the Bullzooka. 

“Bullzooka Blast!” 

The Red Ranger rushed towards Serrator, firing at him. Serrator raised his claws, blocking the Red Ranger’s blasts with ease. “Is that the best you can do?” Serrator taunted, extending his claws at the Red Ranger. They stabbed him in the chest, throwing Jayden across the battlefield. 

“Jayden!” Serena shouted worriedly, rushing towards the Red Ranger. 

“Who’s next?!” Serrator declared, glaring at the Rangers. His white eyes caught sight of Dekker advancing towards him, a grim look in his face. Serrator lowered his claws, his face filling up with glee seeing the Half-Nighlok walking towards him. “Dekker!” 

“Dekker?” Jayden questioned as he got up with the help of the White Ranger. 

“Finally!” Serrator giggled as Dekker stopped in front of the white haired Nighlok. “I knew you’d come!” Dekker narrowed his eyes at the Nighlok as Serrator offered him Uramasa. “Here! Take your sword, Uramasa!” 

“Don’t do it!” Jayden yelled at Dekker, raising his Bullzooka at them. 

Serrator scoffed angrily and spun around, blasting the Rangers with a lightning attack. “Stop meddling!” 

The Rangers were hit with the attack, screaming out in agony as their suits sparked. They were all thrown into the ground, injured. 

Serrator turned around to Dekker and proclaimed, “At last, the reunion you’ve waited for!” He wielded Uramasa in front of Dekker, passing his fingers along the blade. “I return this sword to its rightful owner!” 

The Half-Nighlok took the blade in his hands, the sword humming in happiness. “At last,” Dekker murmured, glancing at the sword. “It seems Uramasa is happy to be with you again,” Serrator noted, chuckling darkly. “Now, it is time! Strike through the barrier!” 

Dekker turned around towards the smoking rock in front of them, wielding his sword in front of him. “Go on,” Serrator persuaded. 

The Rangers got to their feet, their faces filled in horror and worry. 

“Once you complete this task, you’ll be free of your curse,  _ forever _ !” Serrator whispered to him. “Do it! Split this world open! You’ll be free! And I’ll be ruler of both our worlds!” 

“NO!” Mike yelled out, rushing towards them. “Don’t do it!” Kevin declared, following Mike. 

Serrator raised his claws once again, turning around at the two Rangers and extended his claws towards them. His claws wrapped around Kevin and Mike, slamming them into Mia, Serena and Jayden. The Rangers groaned painfully, while Jayden grabbed his Bullzooka from the ground, attaching his SpinSword to it. 

“Super Bullzooka!” Jayden called out. “Drop that sword!” The Red Ranger aimed at them, glaring at Dekker and Serrator. He fired at them, making Serrator get in front of Dekker, diverting the Bullzooka attack back at the Rangers. “Enough of these games! This is the end of the line!” 

The Rangers got blasted backwards from the attack, screaming as they all painfully demorphed back into the ground. 

The ground trembled underneath them, the fault growing bigger as a dark red light began to glow around the cracks. 

Serrator began to laugh hysterically and glanced at Dekker. “It’s time!”

“Do it!” 

The Red Ranger struggled to get to his feet, watching as Dekker raised Uramasa high in the air. “NO!” he yelled, extending his hand towards Dekker helplessly. The other Rangers watched horrified at the Half-Nighlok as he brought down the sword. 

Serrator watched with a grin in his face when Dekker shifted mid slash, his blade slicing Serrator, who was behind him. 

The Rangers gasped out in utter disbelief as Serrator gasped out in shock, collapsing to one knee. The white haired Nighlok tried to comprehend what had happened and glared at Dekker. “How, how can you betray me like this?!” he cried out. 

Dekker’s jaw was clenched as he glared at the white haired Nighlok. “You had what I wanted,” Dekker explained. “Your mistake was thinking I shared your hatred of humanity. I only care for Uramasa.” He straightened out, wielding Uramasa beside him and declared, “You made me that way, remember?” 

Serrator chuckled darkly, declaring, “You’re heartless as any Nighlok. Don’t compare yourself to these humans!” 

Dekker scoffed and sheathed Uramasa, making Serrator glance at the faults in horror. 

The smoking rock that emitted a dark red glow grew brighter before disappearing from sight. 

“NO!” Serrator screeched, diving towards the ground, trying to find the fault. 

The Rangers slowly got to their feet, watching Serrator helplessly trying to find the cracks on the ground.

“Dekker did it,” Kevin murmured in shock. “By denying Serrator’s order, Dekker closed the faults.” 

Serrator overheard the Blue Ranger and clenched his hands into fists, grabbing a fist full of dirt. “200 hundred years of planning,” he snarled furiously. “Ruined in an instant!” The white haired nighlok shakingly got to his feet and turned around to face Dekker and the Rangers furiously. Serrator raised his hands as a dark purple glow surrounded the white haired nighlok. “Now, you will all feel my wrath!”

Lightning crackled around him, raising his hand and shot it towards Dekker and the Rangers. 

Dekker jumped to safety but the Rangers couldn’t escape in time. 

The Rangers were instantly hit, the lightning blast exploding around them. 

Dekker watched the Rangers in the distance and murmured, “Rangers, I know you can deal with this.” He disappeared through a gap, leaving the Rangers to their fate.

* * *

Maria made her SpinSword disappear before hearing footsteps. She grew alarmed at the sound and brought her guard up. She spun around to find Ami and Antonio standing a few feet away from her. 

The Purple Ranger’s eyes were wide in shock and horror, wondering how they entered the cave. 

“This is Iyashinomizu, eh?” Ami stated, raising her hands as she spun around. “What a beautiful place.” 

“How the hell did you manage to enter here?” Maria declared, taking a step back. 

“Seems Hideo weakened the spell around the place,” Ami shrugged. “To know that you knew of a place that could heal anything.” 

“Get out,” Maria snarled, summoning her SpinSword. 

“Your threats are nothing to me,” Ami declared, narrowing her eyes. “If I defeated you before, I can beat you again!” 

Maria wielded her sword in front of her and proclaimed, “This time I’m prepared.” 

“Really?” Ami started with a smirk. “How about two vs one fight? If you could barely defeat me, then you’ll surely die.” 

Maria converted her SpinSword into her Lightning Kamas. “Then to hell with it!”

* * *

“Go, Go Samurai!” the Rangers yelled, morphing into the Samurai Rangers. 

Kevin summoned the Five Disk Battle Cannon and aimed at Serrator. The other four Rangers lined up behind Kevin, lending their Symbol Power into him. 

The Blue Ranger yelled, “Five Disk Octo Cannon! Ready!” 

Jayden summoned the Bullzooka and aimed it at Serrator. “Super Bullzooka!” 

Serrator looked at the Rangers, laughing hysterically. “Really now? You think you can beat me with those little toys?” He raised his hand towards them and yelled, “You will all pay the ultimate price!” He shot lightning at the Rangers, but they all avoided the attack in time. 

“Think again,” Kevin told him. “Your time is up. Cannon blast, strike!” 

“Bullzooka Blast!” Jayden yelled as both Rangers fired at Serrator. The attacks swirled around each other, slamming into Serrator. The white haired nighlok screamed in anger before turning into shrieks of pain as the attack exploded on Serrator, engulfing him in flames. 

The Rangers lowered their weapons, smiles spreading across their faces. 

“We did it!” Mike declared, looking at the Rangers. “Yes!” Mia laughed, hugging Kevin, who lowered the Five Disk Cannon. Serena glanced at Emily, joy evident in her eyes. But the Red Ranger had a worried look on his face. 

The ground suddenly began to shake, making the Rangers smiles disappear as Serrator took on his second life. “You think I would be that easy to defeat?” Serrator snarled, growing larger as he towered upon the Rangers. He blasted at them with his hands, causing the Rangers to scatter in different directions. 

“We need to form the Megazord, now!” Jayden ordered the Rangers. “Right!” they all nodded, taking out their Zords. 

Suddenly a beep came from their Samuraizer making them glance at them. “It’s Mentor,” Mike stated, noticing the person calling them. 

“Mentor?” Jayden answered. 

“Rangers, there’s an indication that the Gold Ranger is fighting Maria in an undisclosed location,” Mentor Ji told them as he glanced at the map. “He’s moving rather extremely quickly and seems like he isn’t alone. Someone else is with him.” 

The Red Ranger glanced at the Rangers, who gave him worried glances. “I’ll go,” Serena offered herself but Emily shook her head. “I will.” 

“What?” the other Rangers exclaimed in alarm. “I promised Maria that I would help her defeat Ami,” the Yellow Ranger explained. “Emily no,” Serena began, shaking her head. “It’s too dangerous!” 

“I don’t care,” Emily declared, glaring at her sister. “I had enough of being stuck in the side lines! Let me do this!” 

The Rangers exchanged glances and looked at the White Ranger, who closed her eyes before nodding. “Fine, but please, be careful.” 

Emily nodded, taking out her ApeZord and placed it on Serena’s hands. “You too. Defeat Serrator for me.” The Yellow Ranger glanced at her friends before running away from the battlefield. 

Serena watched her leave before turning to Jayden. “Let’s do this.” 

“Bull Megazord!”

“Samurai Megazord!” 

“LightZord!”

The ground shook as the Samurai Megazord, LightZord and the Bull Megazord appeared, ready to form and fight against Serrator.

* * *

Maria blocked both Antonio and Ami’s attacks, skidding the ground. Her Ranger suit had a few tears but was maintaining the fight between the Half-Nighlok and the corrupted Gold Ranger. 

She pushed them off her Lightning Kamas and swung them around, lightning dancing around her. “Lightning Dance!” she yelled.

The Gold Ranger evaded her attacks with ease while Ami blocked them. Antonio zoomed in and out her attacks, kicking her towards the ground. Maria rolled on the ground, her Lightning Kamas clattering the ground. She quickly got to her feet, converting her Lightning Kamas back into her SpinSword. 

Antonio shot towards her, swinging his blade towards her, but Maria blocked his attack. Sparks flew from both blades before Maria felt her back being sliced open by Ami’s claws. The Purple Ranger grunted, glancing over her shoulder, witnessing Ami’s smirk. 

Maria turned around towards the Gold Ranger, slamming her elbow into his face. Antonio staggered back and the Purple Ranger swung towards Ami, slashing at her chest with her SpinSword. Ami jumped back, grabbing her chest angrily. 

The Purple Ranger could feel her wounds in her back, healing back together, causing Ami to scoff. 

“You only have the advantage because you regenerate,” Ami told her as she circled the Purple Ranger. “But not because you’re a good fighter. Most of the wounds Antonio and I have given you, should’ve killed you.” 

“Likewise,” Maria answered, wielding her sword to her side. “Only cause you’re Half-Nighlok, you’ve endured this fight. Your skin is tougher than usual.” 

“If you aren’t going to fight fair, so am I,” Ami spat, shooting towards the Purple Ranger. 

Maria could hear Antonio shooting towards her as well and grabbed her Samuraizer, casting a Time Freeze Symbol. Her surroundings froze and she jumped to safety, converting her SpinSword back into her Lightning Kamas. She grabbed both of her weapons, the ribbons tying around her arms.

A purple hue covered the Purple Ranger as lightning crackled around her. Time began to slowly move, causing Ami and Antonio to stop mid attack from hitting each other. 

Ami turned around, seeing Maria powering herself up, the purple ribbons glowing a bright purple. “No way,” Ami whispered, knowing what the Purple Ranger was doing. 

“Lightning Kamas! Lightning Blast!” Maria yelled, shooting towards them. She threw her Lightning Kama at Ami, causing the Half-Nighlok to avoid the weapon. Suddenly Maria appeared in front of her, spinning mid air, slashing at her with the other lightning kama in her hand. 

Ami screamed out as the blade sliced her chest, a shock of lightning enveloping her. The Half-Nighlok staggered back, holding her wound and collapsed to her knees, feeling her body spiking in pain. 

“Ami!” Antonio called out, witnessing her injured and rushed to help. “Wait no!” Ami told him as Maria threw her lightning kama at the Light Ranger. “Avoid her attack!” 

Maria teleported towards him, swinging her body and blade at the Gold Ranger. Her blade sliced his shoulder, tearing his Ranger suit and cutting his back. 

The Gold Ranger grunted in pain, lightning enveloping him and staggered back, holding his arm. Maria landed on the ground, skidded the ground. “I’m giving you both a choice to leave, before I do something I’ll regret!” 

“You really play dirty don’t you?” Ami told the Purple Ranger, struggling to get off the ground. “That attack, you used it once. When Antonio died! You swore you would never use it again!”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Maria told her, her hazel eyes growing cold. 

“Despite the consequences?” Ami asked, chuckling darkly. “I know what this attack can do. You paralyze with this attack. An easy kill if you ask me.” 

“No you don’t know anything,” Maria answered darkly. “What I used on you was merely a fraction of what this powerful attack can do. I only poured so little on these attacks. This attack doesn’t just numb the person, I can destroy their nervous system and make you die in an instant.” 

Ami scoffed, clenching her hands. Beads of sweat began to form in her forehead as Maria approached her and kneeled in front of her. “You once told me I was a monster,” Maria began. “I guess I really am. Leave this blessed cave or I won’t have a choice but to kill you.” 

Ami glared at the Purple Ranger, clenching her jaw angrily before a smile spread across her face. “I guess we’ll see.” 

Maria felt a shift in the air as the Gold Ranger appeared behind her, swinging his blade towards her. She sidestepped avoiding the attack, grabbing the Gold Ranger in a choke hold. Ami struggled to get to her feet, grabbing her chest in pain. 

“You don’t have the guts to kill Antonio,” Ami told her. “I doubt you’ll kill us.” 

“No, for Antonio I have the plans to free him from your grasp,” Maria declared. “For you, I guess the only choice I have is to put you down.” 


	48. Hate Ridden

A glow covered the Samurai Megazord’s sword as it swung its blade towards the Papyrax, destroying them both. 

Serrator raised his claws in the air, yelling, “Lights out, Red Ranger!” He was about to attack when the Samurai Megazord hit him with it’s Octo Spear, driving him to the ground. 

Serrator struggled to get to its feet as the Bull Megazord stood beside the Samurai Megazord. “There’s too much at stake here,” Mike told the Rangers. “How do we finish him off?” Kevin glanced at him and stated, “We use the Samurai Gigazord.” “Good idea,” Mia nodded.

Jayden took out a red disk and attached it to the Black Box. “Ultimate Samurai Combination!” 

A white glow covered both Megazords as they combined as one. “Samurai Gigazord! We are united!” 

“So, you like making fancy machines!” Serrator declared, getting to his feet. He fired at the Gigazord with lightning blasts, who easily were blocked with it’s sword. It slowly advanced towards Serrator, raising it’s sword high in the air. 

“No,” Serrator stated in shock. “Those blasts! Those blasts should’ve stopped you!” The Gigazord swung it’s sword down towards Serrator, who blocked the blade with its claws. “Claw Pincher Slash!” Jayden yelled as the Claw Zord’s pincher hit Serrator, making him spin in the air into the ground. 

“Now’s our chance!” Kevin declared. Jayden took out the Shogun Disk from his belt, yelling, “Shogun Mode!” A white light bathed him as he morphed into the Red Shogun. “Power of the ancestors!” The Red Ranger took out his Mega Blade and wielded it in front of him. “Symbol Power! Shogun Strike!” 

All the Rangers symbols appeared in front of them combining into the Gigazord blade, making the sword glow in energy. 

Serrator got to his feet once more and turned around, seeing the Gigazord glowing a golden light. “What now?” he yelled as a ball of energy shot towards the white haired Nighlok. Serrator raised his hands, catching the ball of energy, laughing once again. “You think this weak attack will defeat me? You’ll never defeat me!” He threw the attack back at the Gigazord, causing it to explode as the Rangers inside struggled to maintain at their feet. 

The Rangers exchanged fearful glances, wondering how Serrator had caught their attack. “No, no Nighlok has ever survived that attack before!” Kevin pointed out, his brown eyes wide in fear. 

“I’ll take you Samurai Rangers out!” Serrator snarled, lightning crackling around him. “If it’s the last thing I do!”

* * *

“You wouldn’t,” Ami stated, a smirk spreading across her face. “You can’t kill me. The Samurai code forbids the Samurai Rangers from killing a fellow teammate.” 

“But you see,” Maria pointed out. “There’s a loophole with you. You’re not human anymore.” She squeezed Antonio’s throat, making struggle as he pitifully tried to escape her grasp. 

“Oh ho ho ho,” Ami chuckled in satisfaction. “You’re going to kill him, huh? You really are a cold hearted monster.” 

“Maria!” came a shout, making both women turned to glance at Emily. Her face was written in horror, seeing Antonio in Maria’s grasp. “What, what are you doing to him?” 

Ami’s eyes were wide in terror, shaking her head as she took a few steps back. “No, this...this can’t be! You’re supposed to be dead!” 

Emily looked at the Half-Nighlok in surprise. 

“Antonio hit all your vital points! I was there!” Ami shouted. “I witnessed you die in his arms! How are you alive?!” 

Antonio, seeing the distraction, grabbed his Barracuda Blade and stabbed the Purple Ranger’s thigh. Maria let out a painful yell, forcing her to let go of her headlock with the Gold Ranger. She fell on her back, making Ami glare at the Purple Ranger. 

“You bitch. You went back in time to save Emily didn’t you? You did it for her but not for everyone else! You really have your favorites.” The Half-Nighlok shot towards Maria, her claws extended, ready to slash at her. 

Emily jumped in front of the Purple Ranger, blocking Ami’s claws with her blade. 

“You don’t know how much I despise both of you!” Ami snarled at her, angry tears streaming down her eyes. 

“You’re wrong!” Emily proclaimed angrily. “She saved me with her healing!”

“Are you really that empty headed?” Ami yelled at her. “Do you really believe that she revived you with her healing powers?” 

“She only went back in time to try to save Hideo!” Emily explained. 

Ami’s anger dissipated and pushed off Emily’s blade, shaking her head. “Hideo’s dead?” She looked shocked for a moment before a maniacal cackle escaped her lips. “Oh, he couldn’t have. How pathetic!”

Maria clenched her jaw, her lips curling up in anger. 

“The Half-Nighlok being the hero to the maiden in distress! Hideo gave up his life for her’s, didn’t he?” Ami declared, glancing at Maria. “What, what do you mean?” Emily asked, confused. 

Ami laughed at the Yellow Ranger, seeing her innocence. “She doesn’t know!” Ami touched her forehead, laughing for a few moments and smirked. “You’re a fool Emily. Hideo used the forbidden spell of reanimation on you! He sacrificed his own life force to revive you!” 

Emily’s eyes went wide in horror, not believing what the Half-Nighlok was saying. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “That, that can’t be true! Hideo was killed by Serrator!” 

“Is that what they told you?” Ami cried out. “Antonio killed you in cold blood! Just like how Xandred killed Maria in the future!” 

Emily’s eyes filled up with tears and glanced at the Purple Ranger. 

“The Red Ranger used Kinsho Tensei to bring her back! After Xandred stabbed her through the heart, killing her! You both are like roaches!” Ami spat. 

“The Red Ranger sacrificed herself to bring me back, because she wanted me to be happy,” Maria snarled at the Half-Nighlok. “The Red Ranger and Hideo did something you wouldn’t offer yourself too! Don’t you dare mock them for their sacrifices!” 

“You’re right!” Ami stated, grinning evilly. “I should’ve killed Hideo before he revived Emily!” She laughed hysterically, extending her claws once more. “I should kill you both! There won’t be another Hideo or Red Ranger to bring you two back!” 

The Half-Nighlok shot forward towards them, making Emily block her attack. She skidded backwards, sword locking with the crazy Ami. Her face was tear stained, wondering why the Rangers had lied to her. She couldn’t believe Hideo had died for her as she auto morphed, glaring at Ami. 

“I shall honor Hideo by destroying you!” Emily declared. “I will beat you!”

* * *

“We are close in beating him! Don’t lose hope!” Serena told her friends. “Serena is right,” Jayden nodded. “We have to remain positive.” “The Gigazord doesn’t have enough power,” Mia noted, glancing at the others. “We are still missing our sixth Ranger.” 

“We don’t need a Ranger, but we have another Zord that is here,” Mike stated, looking at Jayden. “The Shark Zord.” 

“Right!” Jayden nodded, taking out the Shark Zord from the Light Zord that was stationed beside him. “Shark Zord combination!” He spun the Shark Zord disk around as a bright light appeared on the Gigazord, the Shark Zord blade appearing in the mecha’s hand. 

Serrator laughed, seeing the Shark Zord blade and taunted, “Your defense looks awfully fishy!” 

“Oh god, I can’t take the puns,” Mike groaned. “Can we finish him off already?” 

Serrator raised his claws towards the Gigazord, blasting them with lightning once more. The Gigazord swung the Shark Blade around, blocking Serrator’s attacks. “Shark Zord Slash!” Jayden yelled out as the Shark Zord shot towards Serrator. It slashed at him, causing Serrator to cry out in pain as the Red Ranger looked at his friends. “Everyone! Channel your power to all our zords! It’s going to take everything we got to bring him down!” 

“Right!” the Rangers nodded as the Shark Zord began to glow, the kanji of all the Rangers appearing on the blade. “Ultimate Samurai Slash!” 

Serrator watched in horror as the Gigazord swung the Shark Blade towards him once more. “NO!” he yelled out as the blade sliced him in half. Lightning crackled around him as he fell to his knees, laughing hysterically again. “You might have won this battle, Rangers!” he declared as he began to collapse into the ground. “But I still have the Gold Ranger!” 

The white haired Nighlok fell to the ground in an explosion, ending his second life.

* * *

Ami and Emily exchanged attacks, sparks flying as their two blades collided. 

“Aren’t you angry?” Ami told her. “The Rangers lied to you! They hid the truth from you!” 

“No!’ Emily answered, evading her attacks. “Because I know they did it to protect me! To keep away this horrible pain I’m feeling in my chest! To avoid horrible grief! They knew I would have never approved for someone else to take their own life to give me mine!” 

Ami blocked her attacks and screamed, “You should be angry! You should feel the wrath of their protection over you!” She threw Emily to the ground, who rolled over to the side to avoid Ami’s attack. “I wish I could unwind the day I met you! You easily got the man you wanted! You were even going to have a child! You were happier than me! You got what I desired!” 

Emily blocked her attack, her face showing a deep sadness. “Don’t pity me bitch!” Ami shouted, kicking her away. “I despise the moment we became best friends!” The Yellow Ranger got off the ground, her eyes growing wide. 

“Best friend’s?” 

“Of course, Emily!” Ami cackled. “Rearrange the letters of my name! I am Mia! The Pink Ranger of the year 2020!”

* * *

Dekker stormed through the forest, hearing the explosion as the Samurai Rangers finished Serrator off. But as he made his way through the path, Dayu blocked his way. 

“Dekker,” Dayu began, holding her Harmonium tightly. “I saw what you did back there.” Dekker ignored her and went around her, walking past her. Dayu turned around to glance at him and bursted out, “So you have finally turned your back against the Nighlok once and for all!” 

Dekker stopped walking and stated, “We were never after the same thing. I will end my curse on my own terms, not at the cost of this world.” He side glanced at her and spat out, “I’m nothing like you, Nighlok.” Dayu flinched at his statement, feeling it like a slap on the face. “Then again,” Dekker murmured, turning back around. “I have this strange feeling that our fates are intertwined somehow.” 

Dayu watched him leave, a flutter of hope warming in her chest. “Oh, Dekker,” Dayu whispered, clutching her Harmonium against her chest. “If only you knew the truth.”

* * *

Antonio circled the Purple Ranger, who limped around him. Both had exchanged powerful blows, but the Purple Ranger was growing slower. The injury he inflicted in her thigh was keeping her from fighting full attacks. 

The Gold Ranger noticed her SpinSword blade, glowing white and scoffed. He wielded his Barracuda Blade in front of him and declared, “You think your pathetic disk will break the darkness out of me? Think again!” 

Maria watched the Gold Ranger laugh as his Ranger aura flared. She took a step back in horror, noticing the dark power he was emitting. It was overwhelming her and she covered her eyes as a dark light enveloped him. 

When the black light faded away, Maria looked at the Gold Ranger who revealed a dark version of the Ranger’s Super Samurai mode. Antonio chuckled darkly, glancing at his black vest and looked at Maria. “Finally, the power I desired!” he declared, his black cape flowing out from behind him. “I have the power to finish you both off!” 

Maria gaped, growing alarmed. She couldn’t react when she saw the blade before her. She didn’t know what happened, only felt her body flare up in pain. Blood erupted from the cuts he had slashed at her, her Ranger suit failing as it burst into purple kanji’s. The Purple Ranger landed on the ground, her eyes wide in horror.

She had never witnessed such power, only when Jayden had attacked Serrator with it. 

Maria struggled to her feet as the Gold Ranger sneered at her in contempt. “What’s wrong, lighting princess? Am I too fast for you?” 

Antonio got into a position to strike again and shot forward. The Purple Ranger saw the glint of his blade and jumped backwards to avoid the attack. She noticed the Gold Ranger behind her, who whispered in her ear, “Too slow.” 

Maria felt his blade slashing her across her back.

* * *

“Emily isn’t answering her Samuraizer,” Mike told the other Rangers as they walked back at the Shiba House. 

“And Maria isn’t either,” Kevin replied, closing his Samuraizer. “That doesn’t seem right,” Mia murmured, looking at the other Rangers. 

The Red Ranger was looking thoughtful when he felt a shiver up his spine. He froze mid walk, causing the other Rangers to glance at him. “Are you okay, Jay?” Mike asked, noticing his face. The Red Ranger summoned the Black Box, observing it emit a dark glow. 

“Whoa, I’ve never seen that before,” Mike declared wide eyed. “That’s not normal,” Mia stated, glancing at Kevin. “It’s like if something was drawing power from it,” the Blue Ranger explained. 

“It is,” Jayden replied. “Antonio’s Symbol Power is emitting from it.”

“Then we need to find Maria and Emily, now!” Mia proclaimed, making Serena nod. “They're probably in danger,” Kevin agreed. “Let’s stop wasting time then!” Mike nodded, running towards Iyashinomizu.

* * *

Emily avoided another one of Ami’s attacks, skidding the ground. 

“Wind Cutter!” Ami yelled, slashing at Emily with her SpinSword. The Yellow Ranger avoided the attack, her arm getting cut in the process. Emily flipped away from Ami and yelled, “It’s sad to think what you’ve become Mia! A caring, kind person, wouldn’t have become a monster like this!” 

“This is what Maria and the others shaped me into!” Ami told her, swiping her blade at the Yellow Ranger. Emily sidestepped, converting her SpinSword into her shuriken. “Earth Slicer!” 

“Even Maria doesn’t have enough power to change back time! She’s not a God!” Emily told her, throwing her shuriken at Ami. 

Ami dodged her shuriken, slashing at Emily with her claws, causing sparks to fly off her Ranger suit. “You don’t know her like I do! She carries death with her wherever she steps!” Emily was thrown to the ground, just as her shuriken slammed into Ami, knocking her off her feet. 

“She’s human!” Emily cried out, catching her shuriken. 

“She didn’t care as she watched me drown in the Sanzu water filled river!” Ami screamed, shape shifting into her human form, showing Emily her burned, scarred face. “Look at me! She had the power but she just watched! Just like other Rangers when they met their doom!” 

“Don’t you think she felt like crap watching you die?!” Emily declared. “Knowing that all the power she has, wouldn’t be enough to bring you back!” 

“Easy for you to say when you have everything!” Ami screamed out. “You didn’t watch your Earth turn into a Nighlok ridden world! Into a living hell! That despite our efforts we all fell!” “Let us accomplish what you failed to do!” Emily cried out. “You could have been like Hideo! You could have aided us!

“It’s too late for that Emily! I am too far ridden in hate to be redeemed!” Ami spat, raising her hands. “Moogers! Arise!” 

Red gaps glowed from every corner of Iyashinomizu, as multiple moogers appeared around the Yellow Ranger. “I know this is a blessed cave,” Ami declared, changing back into her Nighlok form. “And I know what happens when you summon those from the Netherworld!” 

The cave began to rumble around them, the stalagmites began to crack from the roof and fall into the ground.

* * *

The Purple Ranger panted heavily on the ground as the Gold Ranger circled her. She knew he was just toying with her and didn’t want to kill her.  _ Yet _ , Maria thought, feeling the ground rumbling around her. 

The Gold Ranger grunted and glanced at the Half-Nighlok, who was laughing. 

“What’s happening?” Emily asked, glancing around. 

“Idiot!” Maria yelled, seeing the Moogers circling the Half-Nighlok. “What have you done?!” Ami glanced at her, a smirk spreading across her face. 

“If I can’t kill you with my bare hands! Then I will let Iyashinomizu crush you!”


	49. The Fall of Iyashinomizu

“You idiot! You’re going to kill us all!” Maria shouted at Ami. 

The moment the Moogers had been summoned into the cave, the blessed area had become corrupted. It had set off a self-destruct sequence the moment a Nighlok or Mooger would step into the cave. 

“It doesn’t matter! If dying along with you means I can finally kill you both, I don’t care!” Ami snarled. 

Maria clenched her fists when the Moogers attacked the Yellow Ranger. Emily jumped a few feet back, her SpinSword in hand. She slashed at the Moogers around her while the Gold Ranger kneeled down towards Maria. “It was fun knowing you,” Antonio told her. 

The Purple Ranger noticed a stalagmite heading towards the Gold Ranger and kicked Antonio out of the way. She dived to the side, just in time as the stalagmite landed on the ground behind her. 

“This is going to end in one way or the other!” Ami shouted at the two Rangers. 

The Yellow Ranger dodged the stalagmites, trying to head towards Ami while keeping the Moogers away from her. 

The cave was falling apart rapidly, making Emily glance at the Purple Ranger. She was struggling to get to her feet and skidded the ground, wanting to help her. Ami got in her way and stated, “You’re not going anywhere!” 

Emily raised her SpinSword to block her attack when she noticed a stalagmite heading towards Ami.

“Ami! Watch out!” Emily yelled, her eyes wide in horror. 

The Half-Nighlok glanced up watching the stalagmite fall on her, stabbing through her back, pinning her into the ground. 

Emily’s eyes widened up in horror, covering her mouth in shock. Her eyes welled up in tears as Ami laid on the ground, a puddle of blood forming around her. “Dammit!” Ami coughed up, her SpinSword disappearing from hand. “Dammit! I was so close! So close!” 

“I’m so sorry,” Emily whispered. Despite that, Ami had made her suffer, even though she didn’t deserve this horrible fate. 

Ami glanced at her and spat out, “But I’m not. I just wished you would have died when Antonio had killed you. Damn that Hideo! Damn you all!” 

The cave rapidly continued to collapse, making the Yellow Ranger move out of the way as more stalagmites continued to fall around her. Rocks fell on top of the Half-Nighlok, burying her underneath them. 

Emily bowed her head at Ami, her eyes shedding tears.

* * *

The Purple Ranger got to her feet and grabbed her SpinSword, only for the Gold Ranger to knock it off her hands. She felt the sheath of his Barracuda Blade slam into her face, busting her lip. The Purple Ranger staggered back, wiping the blood from her lips before feeling the blade slicing her back. She grunted, panting heavily as she spun around trying to find the Gold Ranger. 

“Your regeneration is almost reaching its limit,” the Gold Ranger taunted her as he dashed around her. 

Maria spun around, trying to find the Gold Ranger, when he appeared behind her. Her hazel eyes went wide in shock and spun around, only for him to slice her shoulder open. She yelled out in pain, grabbing her shoulder as she took a few steps back. 

“I hit your nerves in that shoulder, takes a few hours to heal at most,” Antonio declared, landing in the ground. “Now you can’t use your right arm.” 

“Why are you doing this?” Maria told him. “Because I want to,” Antonio replied, a smile spreading across his face. “I feel like I can do anything! I am  _ powerful! _ ” 

“You think this power is great?” Maria replied, clenching her jaw. “This power will end up consuming you! You are riding in darkness! You’re the Samurai of Light!” 

“I am the Samurai of Darkness!” Antonio shouted, shooting forward, disappearing from sight. 

The Purple Ranger glanced around before feeling a shot of pain going through her left side. She gasped out, feeling the blade piercing her left side. Maria felt the Gold Ranger behind her and he whispered in her ear, “This is power. Being so fast, that not even  _ you _ can see me.” 

Maria clenched her jaw, a few dribbles of blood sliding down the sides of her mouth. Antonio grabbed her face, making her face him. The Purple Ranger could see his brown eyes glowing with murderous intent, scaring her. He leaned forward, kissing her lips roughly and smiled at her. She felt him dig his blade deeper into her side, making her gasp out in agony. 

“Had enough, Lightning Princess?” Antonio asked her with a chuckle, pulling out the blade from her. 

The Purple Ranger collapsed to her side, grabbing her wound. Her blood dripped down the rocks, not believing that Antonio had stabbed her. He kneeled down towards her, wielding the bloody blade in front of her. “How does it feel, Maria? Bleeding out? You must be feeling the same thing I felt while I bleed to death.” 

“That future, can’t exist,” Maria declared weakly. “It’s one of many.” 

“Really?” Antonio pointed out, placing the edge of his blade on her arm. He slowly slid it towards her neck, making Maria look at him in horror. “I’m no Time Ranger, but I think I just set yours.” 

Maria’s hazel eyes went wide in horror and noticed her SpinSword a few feet away from her. 

“Die,” Antonio told her, lowering his blade. 

Suddenly a foot slammed into him, knocking the Gold Ranger off his feet and sent him a few feet away from the Purple Ranger. Maria glanced up to find the Yellow Ranger standing in front of her, her SpinSword in hand. “Leave her alone!” 

The Gold Ranger snickered, getting to his feet and swung his blade in front of him. “Ah, Emily. Giving me another chance to kill you again?” 

Emily clenched her jaw, her hands gripping the SpinSword tightly. “Emily, get out of here!” Maria told her. “Iyashinomizu, will collapse any second!” 

“No!” Emily shouted at her. “You promised me that I would help you defeat Ami and bring back Antonio!” Maria’s hazel eyes opened wide at her declaration but declared, “But not at the cost of your life!” 

The Yellow Ranger turned to glance at her and stated, “This isn’t just about my life. If I leave you here with Antonio, you’re both going to die! I’m not about to lose two of my closest friends!” 

Maria looked at her before a small smile spread across her face. 

“Now if you’re done with your one to one talk about your feelings,” Antonio stated, getting into a fighting stance. “I’m itching to kill you, Emily.” 

The Yellow Ranger closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths. She didn’t want to kill the Gold Ranger if she didn’t have to. “I don’t want to do this,” Emily told him honestly. “But I have no choice.” The Yellow Ranger shot forward towards the Gold Ranger. 

Both blades clashed into each other, causing sparks to fly. 

The Purple Ranger grunted, slowly getting into her knees. She was struggling to move but managed to crawl towards her SpinSword and grabbed the hilt. She slowly got to her feet, leaning against the SpinSword, coughing up blood. Maria was watching them fight against each other, none of them holding back. 

Antonio kicked the Yellow Ranger in her stomach, sending her flying towards some rocks, causing her to demorph. Emily groaned, slowly getting to her hands and knees, when she noticed the Gold Ranger in front of her. She glanced up to find the blade getting close to her and casted a Symbol at him, hurling the rock behind her towards him. 

The Gold Ranger was slammed into the ground with the rock, making him roll on the ground and to his feet. “Sly move, bitch,” Antonio spat at her with a grin. He shot towards her, once more making Maria take out her Samuraizer, casting a Time Freeze Symbol. 

When the Gold Ranger blinked he found the Purple Samurai in between Emily and him, her SpinSword on her left hand. He tried to dodge her attack, but noticed his feet were grounded, noticing the sticky muddy ground underneath him. Antonio glanced back at the two women, noticing the Yellow Ranger spinning the disk of the Purple Samurai’s SpinSword. 

“I’m sorry,” Emily told him, tears in her eyes. 

The Gold Ranger looked at the Purple Ranger, who was looking at him with sad hazel eyes. “Forgive me.”

“Purification Symbol!” 

Emily glanced away as the Purple Ranger thrusted her SpinSword into Antonio’s chest. The Gold Ranger glanced down at the blade going through his chest. He slowly looked at Maria in shock, whose eyes shed sorrowful tears. 

Antonio screamed out in agony, a black energy dispersing from his chest. His evil Super Samurai cape disappeared from sight, returning him back into his normal Gold Ranger suit. 

The SpinSword disappeared from Antonio’s chest, the Purification disk clattering the ground. The Gold Ranger demorphed, collapsing to the ground as Emily made her quicksand disappear from underneath him. 

The Purple Ranger fell to her knees before falling face down into the ground. 

Emily gasped, rushing towards her, turning her over. “Maria!” 

The Gold Ranger touched his head, glancing at the two Rangers, confused on what had happened. 

“Maria! Stay with me!” Emily told the Purple Ranger. The Purple Ranger breathed heavily and looked at the Yellow Ranger, sadly. “This was my fault. I….changed his fate….and it….turned out worse…” 

“Don’t say that!” Emily scolded her, tearfully. 

“He had the intent to kill us,” Maria continued. “He had the intent to kill….me…” 

The cave rumbled around them once more, making the Yellow Ranger glance up to find several stalagmites falling towards them. “The stalagmites!” Emily cried out. The Yellow Ranger tried to summon her Samuraizer but couldn’t cast a symbol on time. 

“Symbol Power!” came a shout. The stalagmites were diverted away from them, landing a few feet away. 

Emily spun around to see Serena and the rest of the Rangers running towards them. “Serena!” Emily cried out in relief. 

The Green and Pink Ranger’s approached her first, checking her over. “Are you okay?” Mike asked the Yellow Ranger, who nodded. “I’m fine! Maria!” The Pink Ranger noticed the Purple Ranger’s injuries and checked over her. 

“How is she?” Jayden asked the Pink Ranger. “In bad shape,” Mia replied. “She’s not regenerating fast enough. We need to take her back before she bleeds out.” 

“Right,” Jayden ordered, glancing at the Green Ranger, who gave him a nod. Mike gave a kiss on Emily’s cheek and grabbed Maria from her arms. 

“Guys! I can’t keep this up for long!” Serena told the Rangers, sweating as she prevented the cave from collapsing around them. 

“We need to move!” Jayden ordered before noticing the Gold Ranger on the ground. The Red Ranger noticed his bloody hands and his green eyes went wide in horror. “Antonio.” 

“Let’s take him back,” Kevin suggested, seeing Jayden’s face. “We’ll figure it out from there.” The Red Ranger approached the Gold Ranger and grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulder. 

The Rangers began to head towards the cave entrance, hearing the cave collapsing behind them. Serena lowered her Samuraizer and followed them, just as Iyashinomizu collapsed into himself. 

The Rangers glanced behind them, observing the cave become a rubble of rocks. “Rest in peace,” Mike muttered. 

“We should head home,” Mia told the Rangers. “Right,” Jayden nodded, taking out his Samuraizer. “Home!”

* * *

The Rangers appeared in the middle of the Common Room, surprising Mentor Ji. “We need medical attention,” Mia told him as Ji led her towards the infirmary. All the Rangers except Emily and Kevin followed their Mentor, watching them take the injured away. 

“What happened?” Kevin asked the Yellow Ranger. 

Emily looked at the Blue Ranger and murmured, “I’m not sure. Ami and Antonio somehow got into the cave.” 

“How? Wasn’t Iyashinomizu hidden by a barrier?” Kevin pointed out. 

“It was,” Emily sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. She walked a few feet away from Kevin and hugged herself. “It seems that Hideo weakened the barrier to let us enter the cave. At least, that’s what Ami said.” 

“What caused it to collapse?” Kevin asked puzzled. 

“Maria and I were winning the fight against them,” Emily continued. “Ami got desperate and summoned Moogers into the cave. That caused a self-destruction sequence to go off the cave, something about corrupting a blessed area.” The Yellow Ranger let out a long sigh. “We continued to fight when…” 

The Blue Ranger noticed her struggling to continue speaking and approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Ami….A stalagmite fell and crushed her, when she was trying to kill me.” 

Kevin’s eyes went wide in shock, not believing what he was hearing. He noticed Emily’s shoulder’s moving and knew she was crying. He pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, “It’s going to be okay Em. She wanted to bury you alive and failed, paying with her own life.”

* * *

Mike looked at his former student laid in the bed of the infirmary. She looked in bad shape, but Mia had told him that she was slowly healing back. It was a close call but she managed to survive once again. 

The Green Ranger sighed, looking at Maria unconscious before leaving the room. Serena had volunteered to watch her overnight, leaving him free from the responsibility. 

Besides, he had other stuff to attend too. 

Mike slid the doors closed and walked towards the next room, sliding the doors open. He noticed Jayden with Mentor Ji, talking quietly as they stood at the edge of Antonio’s bed, who laid unconscious as well. The Green Ranger’s fists clenched angrily, seeing Emily’s killer laid on the bed peacefully.  _ No, don’t think like that _ , Mike told himself.  _ He was being controlled. That wasn’t him. That wasn’t Antonio. _

The Green Ranger glanced back at the Gold Ranger but couldn’t manage looking at him and left the room. Mike walked down the hallways before finding Emily sitting on a couch in the Common Room. 

That caught the attention of the Green Ranger and approached her, flopping down beside her. “Are you okay Em?”

The Yellow Ranger sighed but didn’t look at him. “How could I be okay? I just watched Ami get crushed by Iyashinomizu.” Mike scratched the back of his head nervously and murmured, “Right.” The Blue Ranger had told him and the others about what happened to Emily in the cave. 

“Sorry you had to see that,” Mike suggested, looking at her. He reached for her hand but she pulled it back, surprising him. “That’s not all,” Emily added, tears filling up in her eyes. She looked at Mike, her face written in a deep hurt. “Why? Why did you lie to me?” 

Mike blinked puzzled on what she was saying. “What, what do you mean?” 

Emily clenched her fists and stated, “You know what I mean! Why did you lie to me about Hideo?” 

Mike’s eyes opened wide in shock, wondering how she knew about that. “How..”

“Ami told me how Antonio had killed me!” Emily shouted, tears streaming down her face. “And she figured that Hideo did a forbidden spell on me! To revive me! Maria confirmed it!”

“I’m sorry,” Mike began, trying to grab her hands to calm her down, but Emily pulled away, getting to her feet. “I can’t believe you would all lie to me,” Emily continued, sobbing. “Why?!” 

“We didn’t want you to get hurt,” Mike replied, getting to his feet as well. “We knew you would never forgive yourself if someone would sacrifice their life for yours!” 

“But keeping this away from me?!” Emily declared. “This hurt worse!” 

“I trusted everyone, especially you Mike! I never expected there to be secrets between us.” 

The Yellow Ranger looked at him before turning away and leaving the Common Room. 

The Green Ranger wanted to chance after her but decided against it. He raked a hand through his brown hair and slammed a fist into the wall beside him. “Dammit,” he spat, knowing Emily was right. 

They shouldn’t have lied to her.

* * *

A blonde haired woman read the letter over again, reading every single word that was written. She narrowed her eyes, frowning before setting it down beside her. The woman wearing a red kimono with white flowers got to her feet and headed towards the doors, opening them and smelling the fresh air. 

“M’lady, should I write a letter back to the Shiba House?” asked her servant, who was kneeling beside her chair. 

Her blonde hair danced with the gentle wind as she closed her eyes and opened them, revealing beautiful emerald green eyes. She let out a deep sigh, glancing out into the yard of the house she was in. The woman glanced over her shoulder, looking at the servant that was awaiting her order. 

“What awaits the Shiba House, concerns me,” she told her servant. “I was always told that I would have a specialized team to help me defeat the Nighlok. Instead, I have a mixture of doubts. My brother has declared that if I were to return, he would forfeit his rights as the Red Ranger. The Gold Ranger got corrupted and has now been freed, but is not himself. A Yellow Ranger who decided to add herself in the team as the White Ranger, yet, has no zord, and cannot wield the same power as the Yellow Ranger. But what worries me the most is the Purple Ranger.” 

She turned to her servant and declared, “Now tell me, wouldn’t that concern you?” 

“If you want my honest opinion, m’lady, I suggest you give them all a chance,” the servant answered. “They’ve defeated Serrator. For the Purple Ranger, she has saved your brother from Xandred.” 

“You’re right,” the blonde haired woman stated. “I’m very afraid and excited. I am soon coming back home.” 


	50. Facing your Demons

_ Her brown eyes widened up in horror as he advanced towards her, blade in hand. He could hear his own laugh as he felt his blade slashing her white skin. He felt her warm, scarlet red blood splash against his face and clothes.  _

_ He watched as the blonde woman stood still, her wound spurting blood. He chuckled darkly, watching her staggering towards him, falling on his shoulder. She breathed heavily when realization hit him. He noticed what he had done and lowered his weapon, his Barracuda Blade, clattering the ground.  _

_ “Why?” she murmured, slowly glanced at the man. Her brown eyes were wide in shock and terror, tears forming in her eyes. “Why did you kill me? Why did you do it?”  _

_ The man glanced at her, startled at her declaration.  _

_ The blonde haired woman, turned towards his ear, whispering, “Bastard. You could’ve stopped yourself. You could’ve turned that knife against yourself!” The man’s eyes went wide as the woman pushed herself off him, seeing her bleeding wounds. She summoned a SpinSword and wielded it in front of her. “You actually liked that power  she gave you, didn’t you?”  _

_ “No! I didn’t!” he cried out, shaking his head. The blonde hair slashed at him, ripping his black and white checkered scarf. “You embraced the darkness instead of fighting back!” the woman spat at him. “Look at the consequences! You  _ **murdered** _ a human being!”  _

_ “I wasn’t in control!” the man yelled.  _

_ “But you didn’t fight back, love,” came another voice. The man turned around to find Ami standing behind him. A sinister smile spread across her face as she walked towards him, snaking her arms around his neck. “You loved that power, didn’t you? You enjoyed your time being the Dark Gold Samurai Ranger. You loved the rush of power I gave you!”  _

_ “No!” the man denied, clenching his jaw.  _

_ “The moment I gave you a taste of the power, you practically felt captivated,” Ami continued, circling around him. “Tell me, Antonio, did you enjoy killing Emily?”  _

_ “No!” Antonio shouted, his eyes wide in horror. “I-I hated it! I can’t believe I killed her!” He grabbed his hair, shaking his head, tears streaming down his face.  _

_ “Did you enjoy the look she gave you?” Ami snickered. “The look of betrayal, hurt and mistrust?” _

_ “No!” Antonio cried out.  _

_ “Or how you stabbed Maria?” Ami cackled. “Watching your blade bathe in the blood of the woman you love.” _

_ Antonio found himself standing behind Maria, grabbing her face as he drove his blade deeper into her side.  Had enough, Lightning Princess? _

_ “No! Stop!” Antonio declared, grabbing his head. “Shut up! Shut up!”  _

_ “I’ll never shut up,” Ami whispered in his ear. “I will always be the darkness inside you, Antonio.” _

* * *

Antonio gasped awake, breathing heavily as he quickly sat up. His heart was racing from the wretched nightmare he dreamt as sweat dripped down his forehead. The Gold Ranger glanced around, noticing he was in the infirmary. 

Antonio tried to move, but noticed that his hands were tied down. The Gold Ranger went into full fledged panic, wondering why he was tied up. He tried to pull free but couldn’t and he glanced around, seeing no one around. 

Suddenly the doors slid open, revealing a weary Jayden walking in with a tray of tea in his hands. The Red Ranger noticed that the Gold Ranger was awake and quickly rushed towards him. “Antonio?” the Red Ranger asked cautiously. 

“Jay?” Antonio asked fearfully. “What’s going on? Why am I tied?” 

Jayden’s eyes lit up seeing this was his Gold Ranger and let out a sighed relief. “It’s really you.” 

“What’s going on?” Antonio asked again, his eyes wide in fear. “Sorry, this was just a precaution,” Jayden replied, reaching to the rope tied in his hands. He began to untie him while Antonio questioned, “Precaution? For what?” 

The Red Ranger paused and slowly looked at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Jay, I’m confused, what happened? How did I get here? Why was I tied up?” Antonio questioned. “What did I do?” 

Jayden blinked and asked, “You don’t remember what happened during the last few weeks?” 

“I don’t remember anything,” Antonio whispered. “I don’t remember how I got here. The last thing I remember was protecting Maria from Ami.” 

Jayden looked at him wide eyed and murmured, “You don’t remember what happened in the last few weeks.” 

“What happened during the last few weeks?” Antonio asked, when a piercing pain hit his head. He touched his forehead and declared, “Everything’s a haze.”

The doors slid open, revealing Emily walking in looking worriedly. “Jayden, Mentor is looking for y….” she trailed off seeing Antonio awake. “Emily,” Antonio whispered, his eyes wide. The Yellow Ranger walked towards him and looked at him worriedly. She glanced at the Red Ranger, who looked conflicted and touched his arm. 

“It seems her symbol worked,” she told him. “It seems so,” Jayden replied. 

“Symbol?” Antonio echoed, confused. Emily blinked surprised and asked, “You don’t remember anything?” 

“No,” Antonio replied, shaking his head. The Yellow Ranger sighed and looked at the Red Ranger. “Can I talk to him, alone?” The Red Ranger looked surprised but gave her a nod, patting her shoulder. He left the room, sliding the doors closed. 

Emily turned to the Gold Ranger and took his hand, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Antonio, I know you’re probably confused right now, but, I think you should know the truth of what happened.” 

The Gold Ranger looked worriedly at her and asked, “What did I do?” The Yellow Ranger could see the fear in his brown eyes and she sighed. “You were under Ami’s control for the last few weeks. She, she pitted you against us.” Antonio’s eyes went wide and shook his head. “No, that….I couldn’t have….Did I… betray you all?” 

Emily shook her head but Antonio pulled his hand away from hers. “Did I hurt you all? Did I place my blade against yours?” 

“Antonio, that wasn’t you,” Emily replied. “That was Ami’s doing.” 

“But I still could’ve done something! Could’ve I?” Antonio declared, tears forming in his eyes. “Antonio…” Emily began, when the sliding doors opened. Both Rangers turned to find Mike, glaring at them both, anger evident in his green eyes. 

“Don’t touch Emily!” he shouted, running towards them both. He grabbed Emily, pulling her away from the Gold Ranger, while Antonio looked confused. 

“Mike!” Emily told him, trying to pull away from him. 

“It wasn’t enough that you killed her, that you almost killed your girl too?” Mike snarled, making the Gold Ranger’s eyes grow wide in shock. “What?” Antonio breathed. “Mike stop!” Emily yelled. “No Em!” Mike replied, glancing at her. “He needs to know!” 

“He was brainwashed!” Emily argued. “He killed you in cold blood!” Mike shouted back. “I don’t give a damn if he was brainwashed or not!” 

“You shouldn’t have told him this!” Emily replied in shock. “Didn’t you say that there shouldn’t be any more secrets? That it hurt hiding the truth from you?! Why should he be an exception?!” Mike declared. 

“Is this true?” Antonio asked quietly, making them glance at him. The Gold Ranger was looking at his bed sheets, clenching them tightly in his hands. “Did I really  _ kill _ you?” 

Emily lowered her glance, not knowing what to say. “Yes, you did,” Mike told him, clenching his fists. “It hurts to say it, but you killed Em. The reason she’s standing here alive was because, Hideo used a forbidden spell on her to bring her back alive.” 

“Did I kill….Maria too?” Antonio whispered, clenching his jaw. “No, but she’s badly injured,” Mike pointed out. Emily saw Antonio’s fist clench tightly and grabbed Mike’s arm. “That’s enough. Leave him alone.” 

The Yellow Ranger pulled the Green Ranger away from the infirmary, leaving the Gold Ranger alone.

* * *

Maria rolled her injured shoulder back, wincing. “Don’t over do it,” Mia told her as she checked over her. “Despite your regeneration power, you’re still at risk in opening the wound again.” 

“I know, but at least I have some feeling back in my arm,” Maria replied. “How’s your side?” Mia asked as Maria got to her feet. She stretched noticing that the wound on her side was a dull ache and not an agonizing pain. 

The Pink Ranger smiled, chuckling at her. 

“I really envy those regeneration powers of yours.”

Maria chuckled back and sat back in the bed, laying flat on her back. “I guess. But even my regeneration has limits.” 

“That’s true,” Mia replied, walking from the bed towards a chair where a bag of clothes sat. “Serena and I decided to go shopping the other day and bought you new clothes.” Maria blushed embarrassed that the two Rangers bought her clothes but at the same time she felt extremely grateful. “You didn’t have to,” Maria muttered, her cheeks beet red. “We wanted too,” Mia smiled, taking the bag and offering it to Maria, who took it from her hands. “Thanks,” Maria told her. She opened the bag, noticing new black skirts, new purple blouses and a pair of black boots. 

“I hope you like it,” Mia told her as she walked out of the infirmary.

* * *

“Why did you tell him like that?” Kevin scolded the Green Ranger, who had his arms crossed. “He had to know either way,” Mike replied, glaring at the Blue Ranger. “That wasn’t the correct one,” Kevin continued. “What you did was uncalled for.” 

“Then what did you want me to do Kevin?” Mike snapped. “Did you want me to tell him in baby steps? He knows what he did!” 

“Maybe he didn’t!” Kevin shouted at him. “Don’t you understand? When I was under control by Madimot, I didn’t attack you willingly! I couldn’t control my body to stop from hurting you all!” The Blue Ranger clenched his fists angrily and stated, “Antonio probably didn’t have control over himself either!” 

“He hurt one of my friends and my girlfriend!” Mike spat at him. “He could’ve tried to hold back! But he decided to drive a blade through Emily’s heart!” 

“You’re being an asshole about this Michael!” Kevin snarled back. “Don’t you think he feels like shit already? Especially now that you told him what he did! He’ll forever live with the guilt that he hurt Emily and Maria!” 

“You would never understand how helpless it feels, when you want to stop your body from committing an action, but you can’t!” Kevin continued. “I would never wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy!” The Blue Ranger left the Common Room angrily, while Mike walked towards another direction when he felt someone grab his shoulder. 

“What did you do?” Jayden asked sternly, making the Green Ranger swallow nervously.

* * *

The Gold Ranger grabbed his hair as a few tears slipped down his face. He couldn’t believe what Mike and Emily had told him.  _ So, was that nightmare real? _ Antonio thought fearfully.  _ Was Ami right? Did I not fight the darkness? Did I….embrace it? _

Antonio closed his eyes, letting out a sob. He was starting to remember everything, from Ami’s torture, to the last fight where he and Maria fought it out. He remembered how good it felt when he embraced the darkness Ami had given him. How he enjoyed the rush of power that coursed through his veins. It made him feel alive, it made him feel powerful. 

“What have I done?” Antonio whispered, covering his face with his hands. 

“Antonio?” came a voice. 

The Gold Ranger didn’t glance up but felt someone embracing him. “Mike told me what happened. Are you okay?” 

Antonio didn’t know what to say. He didn’t feel okay at all. He had killed one of his friends and hurt the woman he loved. He felt the person hug him tighter and whispered in his ear, “It’s going to be fine.” Antonio clenched his jaw and shouted, “It’s never going to be fine! I killed a living being! I killed Emily and I hurt Maria! Don’t you understand that?!” 

The Gold Ranger glanced at the Red Ranger, who was startled at the outburst. 

“I was corrupted by Ami and she tapped into a darkness I’ve never thought I had!” Antonio continued. “I feel horrible! I feel like shit to be honest!” Antonio sobbed, covering his face, making the Red Ranger pity him. “I hate myself! I hate how I was so easily manipulated by that woman!” 

Jayden looked at his best friend, taking Antonio’s hands off the Gold Ranger’s face. The Red Ranger could see how emotionally and mentally broken the Gold Ranger looked and sighed. “We will get through this. I doubt the others have a hate towards you. They know it wasn’t you that killed Emily.” 

“But it was me!” Antonio whimpered exasperatedly. “No,” Jayden shook his head, squeezing Antonio’s hands. “It was Ami. She put inside you a darkness that was never there to begin with. You’re one of the kindest people I know. You would never do that to the people you love so willingly. Ami’s to blame for everything that happened.” 

The Red Ranger gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t be hard on yourself Ant. You will face your demons. You will conquer them. And when you do, you’ll feel at peace with yourself.” 

The Gold Ranger glanced away, wondering why the Red Ranger believed in him so much. He felt like a monster at the moment and felt like he couldn’t be even trusted. “I don’t know how to conquer them.” 

“Start with not blaming yourself for hurting your friends,” Jayden suggested. “That wasn’t you, but Ami’s influence. Her spell did that to you. You’re strong Antonio, you can conquer your demons.” 

The Gold Ranger glanced at him and whispered, “Thanks Jay.” 

Jayden grinned and stated, “That’s what a best friend is for.”

* * *

The Green Ranger knocked on Mia’s and Emily’s door, hoping that the Yellow Ranger would answer. 

Mike sighed, placing his forehead on the door and stated, “Em, can I talk to you? Please?” He could hear footsteps on the other side and the door slightly opened. “What do you want Mike?” Emily asked quietly. Mike looked relieved that Emily had answered but faded away when he noticed that she was avoiding his gaze. 

“Look Em, I’m...terribly sorry,” Mike began. “I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have yelled at you and Antonio. Also, for lying to you about Hideo. I hope you can forgive me.” When Emily didn’t answer, the Green Ranger sighed. “Kevin was right. I was being an asshole about it and I shouldn’t have judged him like that.” 

Emily opened the door wider, noticing the Green Ranger’s sincere tone and sighed. “I don’t think you should be apologizing to me,” Emily replied, looking at him. “You should go apologize to Antonio for what you did.” Mike glanced at her, seeing her concerned brown eyes. The Green Ranger looked at the ground, knowing she was right. 

“Right,” Mike murmured, nodding. “But, I still accept your apology,” Emily replied, giving him a small smile. “No more secrets between us?” Mike gave her a nod, smiling. “No more secrets.” 

Emily smiled at him.

* * *

A young shrine maiden walked towards the two sliding doors and slowly opened them, bowing to the blonde haired woman within. 

“M’lady, we have sent word to Ji about your arrival. Our messager should be there soon, since his departure a week ago.” 

“Good,” the blonde haired woman told her servant, removing her red and white flowered kimono. It fell on the floor, revealing civilian clothing. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon. “My things are prepared?” 

“Yes m’lady,” the shrine maiden answered. 

“Excellent,” the blonde haired woman murmured. “It’s time.” She turned away from the yard she was facing and walked towards her desk. She picked up her Samuraizer, looking at the brush and clutched her hand around it. The blonde haired woman put it close to her heart, tears brimming her eyes. 

“Finally. I will come home, father.”

“I will finally get the vengeance and the peace I’ve longed for. I will seal the Nighlok away and finish this once and for all.” 


	51. Feelings

Maria stood in front of the memorial as a gentle breeze blew around her. She placed her hand on the memorial stone, letting out a deep sigh. “We got him back Hideo,” Maria began. “But he’s broken. Ami broke him badly.” She felt tears well up in her eyes and shakingly declared, “This is my fault. Changing the timeline did this to him.” 

The Purple ranger slowly closed her hand and murmured, “Maybe, I should have let him die, like he was supposed to.” 

“Did he die because of me?” 

Maria’s eyes opened and turned around to find the Gold Ranger behind her. 

He looked defeated and looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He glanced at her, giving her a sad glance. Maria glanced back at the memorial, shaking her head. “No. He died for Emily.” 

Antonio sighed, shaking his head slowly. “I was still the cause of his death. If I hadn’t killed Emily, he wouldn’t have died.” 

“Don’t say that,” Maria told him. “You weren’t in control of yourself. Ami forced you to. You were brainwashed.” 

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Antonio replied, looking at her. “But I could have tried to stop myself. I hurt everyone in ways I never imagined hurting them. I know that I might never be forgiven for killing Emily or stabbing you.” 

Maria turned to look at him and stated, “I doubt the rangers would hold a grudge against you. You weren’t yourself, that was Ami.” 

“No, it was me,” Antonio began, turning away from her. “I could have broken from her control! But I couldn’t! I was weak! I embraced the power she gave me instead of fighting back!” Maria grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “I know the darkness is tempting,” Maria replied. “But you fought back. The Purification Symbol wouldn’t have worked if you fought against it. You wanted to be free from it. That’s why you’re back.” 

The Purple Ranger squeezed his arm and added, “Don’t let that guilt eat you up. I know it’s hard to deal with. I couldn’t save my friends in the future, I couldn’t save you. I watched you die in my arms and I couldn’t do anything but watch. That guilt has never gone away, but you’ll learn to control it, don’t let it consume you.” 

“I’m sorry,” Antonio whispered, looking at her. “I almost killed you, the person I care for the most.” 

The Purple Ranger’s cheeks went bright red and glanced away. “I’m sorry too. If there’s someone to blame, it should be me.” 

Antonio looked at her confused and asked, “Why you?”

“I could have prevented Ami in taking you,” Maria told him. “Instead, I chose to hide who I really was, like a coward. Ami took my secret into her advantage. I should have told you from the start who I was.” Maria glanced at Hideo’s memorial. “This mess could have been avoided.” 

“I guess we are both to blame.” 

A gentle breeze blew around them with the Gold Ranger sighed. “Thanks, for saving me.” 

Maria looked at him and offered him a small smile. “I couldn’t let her take you away from the Rangers. From me.” 

“Despite everything I did?” Antonio replied. 

“Of course,” Maria told him. “Because I care for you deeply.” 

The Purple Ranger clasped her hands together, smiling. “I travelled back to the past to save everyone, including you.” 

“But why? Why would you risk everything, even your life for me?” Antonio told her, tears in his eyes. “Because I love you,” Maria declared. “And I would risk my life again! No matter the challenges, no matter the timeline I would have to cross, I will find you and I will save you!” 

The Gold Ranger’s eyes went wide, before he nervously laughed, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t deserve someone special like you,” he told her. “You’re surely something, Maria Abukara.” 

The Purple Ranger smiled at him, softly laughing before stopping, the Gold Ranger embracing her. “I’ll try, but, if you’re ever in trouble, I will do anything in my hands to save you once more. Because I too, love you with all my heart.” 

The Purple Ranger’s eyes went wide and blushed, hugging him tightly.

* * *

Mike watched the Blue and Pink Rangers prepare breakfast together. He noticed how Mia blushed while Kevin laughed, making him groan, placing his head on the table. “Why can’t I be like that with Emily?” he murmured miserably. 

“Because you were being an asshat,” Serena replied. The Green Ranger felt a shiver run up his spine and turned around to find the White Ranger behind him. “Morning Serena,” Mike nervously laughed. “Morning Michael,” Serena answered, walking towards the kitchen. 

Mike observed her leave before hearing someone sitting beside him. “Hey Mike!” Emily waved at him. “How about training together later today?” 

The Green Ranger slowly blinked trying to comprehend what she asked him. “You mean, you and me? Alone? Training?” Mike stammered. “Who else?” Emily giggled. “I mean, of course!” Mike nodded, liking the idea of spending time with Emily alone. 

Jayden walked towards the kitchen, dressed in his training clothes, a smile on his face. “Smells good,” he commented, sitting beside the White Ranger. 

“Thanks Jayden,” Kevin replied, giving him a grin. “It’s mostly Mia’s cooking.” 

“Hey, give yourself some credit,” Mia told him with a smile. The Blue Ranger blushed embarrassed. 

“If you love birds would stop flirting and finish breakfast,” Serena teased, causing both rangers to blush. 

“Breakfast smells amazing,” came a voice, causing the Rangers to look at the Gold Ranger in surprise. 

“Antonio!” Mia gasped out, almost dropping the plate she was carrying in her hands. The Rangers were surprised that the Gold Ranger was joining them for breakfast. “Um, hey,” Antonio smiled at them. 

“Glad you came to join us,” Jayden told him, beckoning to sit beside him. The Gold Ranger took his offer and sat beside the Red Ranger, clearing his throat. 

“I just want to say, that I’m deeply sorry that I hurt everybody.” 

“Hey, we’re all alive and we got you back,” Kevin replied, giving him a smile. “Don’t worry about it,” Mia told him. “We hold no grudges towards you.” 

“We all know that was Ami and not you,” Emily added. “Don’t blame yourself for it.” 

“Thanks,” Antonio told them, glancing at the plate in front of him. “It’s good to have good friends like you all.” 

The Rangers all grinned, making the Gold Ranger smile. 

“Good that everyone is getting alone once more,” noted a voice. The Rangers glanced to find Maria walking towards the dinning room. 

“Whoa! New Maria!” Mike joked, seeing the Purple Ranger in different clothes than the usual she wore. She wore a purple blouse with a black skirt and small boots. Her hair that was usually unruly had been brushed and tied into a ponytail. 

Maria noticed the Rangers staring at her. “Don’t get used to it,” she waved it off, flustered. She sat beside the Gold Ranger and grabbed a plate. 

“This is so good!” Serena complemented, swallowing. “Thanks!” Mia smiled, blushing at the compliment. “I couldn’t have a better teacher.” The Pink Ranger looked at Kevin, who smiled at her. “Aw, please don’t kiss,” Mike groaned, covering his eyes. Emily elbowed him and frowned. 

Kevin rolled his eyes at Mike and glared at the Green Ranger. “Please, as if we don’t see you and Emily kissing all the time.” 

“Hey!” Mike cried out, frowning.

“No we don’t!” Emily declared, turning red. 

“The other day I tried to meditate and I found you two kissing underneath my favorite tree by the river,” Maria grumbled, grabbing a piece of toast. 

“What?!” Mike and Emily yelled, beet red. 

“I like enjoying watching and hearing the calming river, not the sound of two teenagers kissing,” Maria huffed.

“I’m sorry!” Emily cried out, waving her hands in front of her frantically. “I didn’t know! I mean, we didn’t know!” 

“Oh please,” Mike snarked. “You’re just jealous you don’t get to do that with Antonio.” 

The Rangers glanced at the Green Ranger wide eyed while Maria and Antonio choked on their food, coughing hysterically. Mike laughed at their reaction while the others frowned. 

“Michael,” Serena growled, glaring at the Green Ranger. “What?” Mike stated, glancing at the White Ranger. “It was a joke!” 

“That was insensitive,” Mia noted, looking at the two Rangers worriedly.

“It’s a joke!” Mike repeated, frowning. “It’s not a stick up your-” 

The Gold and Purple Ranger’s glanced at each other before laughing. 

The other Rangers were left confused but smiled, seeing their Gold Ranger laughing. 

Jayden grinned, finding the old Antonio back. 

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Mike and Emily were watching a movie together. Kevin and Serena were preparing dinner, while Antonio practiced in the Common Room. 

The Pink Ranger walked outside of the Shiba House, finding Jayden training intensely. Mentor Ji was watching the Red Ranger from a distance, beaming proudly. 

Mia smiled at his reaction, knowing that was the face of a proud mentor. The Pink Ranger leaned against the door frame, watching Jayden train before noticing the gates opening. Mia noticed a monk walking in, wearing different robes from those from the Tengen Gate. Curiosity brewed inside of her as she watched the monk approach Mentor Ji. 

Mentor Ji noticed his presence and got off the bench he had been sitting on. The smile disappeared from his face and approached the monk. 

Mia watched them both salute each other with a bow.  The monk took out a letter from his sleeve and Ji took it from his hands. The monk bowed to him once more before exiting the Shiba Gates. Mentor Ji looked at the letter and Mia saw the Shiba Family crest on it, catching her attention.

She saw the blood drain from Mentor’s face and turned towards the Red Ranger, who continued to train. 

Mia hid behind the door, peeking from a crack and watched Ji approach Jayden.

Jayden stopped his training when Mentor Ji got in front of him. The Red Ranger lowered his wooden stick, looking at Ji confused. Ji showed him the letter which Jayden took from his hands, surprised. 

Mia watched Jayden open the letter and read over it, his face showing concern. She noticed his hands shaking and Mia wondered what the letter had contained that it had shaken Jayden. 

“We knew this day would come,” Mentor told him. 

“This changes everything,” Jayden murmured, lowering the letter. “The Rangers will finally know my secret.” He glanced at the letter in his hands again and whispered, “I hope they’ll be able to forgive me."

The Pink Ranger’s eyes went wide hearing their conversation and headed inside the Shiba House. She was confused what Mentor and Jayden were talking about.  _ Jayden has a secret?  _

_ What secret? _

* * *

Dayu walked aboard Master Xandred’s ship, petting a Furry Wart. She noticed that the ship was empty, with no Nighlok in sight. “Octoroo?” 

Footsteps were heard as the noodle faced Nighlok appeared from the ship’s deck, his face lighting up in surprise. “Dayu! What a relief!” 

Dayu glanced around and pointed out, “Seems like my Furry Wart friends aren’t here for a welcoming party.” 

Suddenly a bunch of Furry Wart’s fell from the ceiling, singing, “Welcome Dayu! Welcome! Welcome!” 

“That’s more like it,” Dayu smirked, petting each of them. 

“After Serrator’s and Ami’s fall, there’s hardly anyone around,” Octoroo noted. “Your company is very welcomed.” 

Dayu walked past him and touched the throne where Xandred used to sit. “So, Xandred is still soaking in the river I assume?” 

“Yes,” Octoroo nodded. “He stayed too long in the human world and almost got completely dried out.” The Nighlok noticed Dayu glancing at her Harmonium upset and stated, “At least he fixed your Harmonium before that happened.” 

Dayu looked at the Nighlok and proclaimed, “And in return, I pledged my loyalty to him.” 

“Good,” Octoroo smirked. “He’ll be glad you stuck to your word. I don’t know when he’ll be back. He must soak in a lot of misery from the Sanzu River so he can recover faster. Remember the big boss has a big tank and it will take some time to fill.” 

“Then let’s cause some misery of our own,” Dayu suggested, making her Furry Wart’s state, “Yes! Misery! Misery!” 

“Great idea!” Octoroo agreed, turning around to glance at Dayu. “And I know what to do. Ambush the Red Ranger and take him down! If we get rid of him…”

“We save Xandred and ourselves,” Dayu nodded, petting her Furry Wart, a grin appearing on her face. “Go on, I’m listening.” 

“I have the perfect candidate and weapon,” Octoroo smiled, walking towards the railing. “She’s fast as lightning and knows how to fight fire with fire.” Dayu followed him towards the deck as Octoroo yelled, “Fiera!” 

There was a flash of light as a Nighlok shot from the Sanzu River and into the ship’s deck. The Nighlok’s blue hair waved around her as she got to her feet, grinning at Octoroo. “Did you miss me, Octoroo? Yearning for a dose of something wicked?” 

“Ohh ah ooh! Have I got a job for you!” Octoroo declared, waving her to follow him. They walked inside the ship, making Fiera notice Dayu among them. “Dayu!” Fiera began, smirking. “I didn’t think they’d let you back on this ship, after that little stunt you pulled!”

Dayu curled her lip upward, ignoring the blue haired Nighlok. 

Fiera noticed Dayu was ignoring her and snorted. “What’s wrong? Couldn’t make any friends on Earth and you came back crawling here?” Dayu’s hand clenched around her danto, pulling it out of her Harmonium. She spun around, placing the blade of Fiera’s throat, surprising the blue haired Nighlok. 

Fiera side glanced at her while Dayu spat, “Listen, idiot. No matter where I go, I’m still a Nighlok. Rather than testing my patience with your taunts, why don’t you try something useful?” She pressed her blade harder against Fiera’s throat and declared, “Help us take down the Red Ranger.” 

The blue haired Nighlok grinned, flashing her teeth. “Fine, fine. I’ll help you. Only cause I find this entertaining.” 

Dayu scoffed, removing her danto from Fiera’s neck and sheathed it back into her Harmonium. 

Octoroo laughed nervously, observing the tense exchange between the two female Nighloks. “Good, good. Your skills are exactly what we need for this job!” He walked around the ship, taking an item from a shelf and approached Fiera. 

“These are specially designed to take down the head of the Shiba Clan,” Octoroo explained, giving the item to Fiera, who took them from his hands. “Hm,” Fiera grunted, looking over the blue bombs. “What are they?” 

“Fire flashers,” Octoroo replied. “The Red Ranger’s Symbol Power is fire, so we’re going to fight fire with fire. These are filled with evil flames from the Netherworld. Three strikes on him and it’ll make a fire within him burn and destroy him alive.” Octoroo giggled in giddiness. “Ohh ah ooh! The Red Ranger is through!” 

* * *

Antonio looked at his Barracuda Blade, putting it in front of him. He slowly unsheathed the blade, seeing his reflection on it. Suddenly, his blade turned red, tainted in blood and he dropped it into the ground, panting heavily. 

“Dammit!” he cursed, pacing around. Every time he drew out his blade, his mind would drift back to the moment he struck down Emily and stabbed Maria. “No, I have to do this,” Antonio murmured, glancing at the blade. He grabbed it from the floor, sheathing it and took in a deep breath.  _ Again _ , he thought, exhaling.  _ Relax. Clear your mind Antonio. Focus _ . 

The Gold Ranger unsheathed his blade once more, this time, noticing that his hands weren’t shaking as much. 

“You’re still hesitating,” came a voice. 

Antonio sheathed his blade and turned around to see who was watching him. The Purple Ranger was leaning against the door frame, a worried smile on her face. 

The Gold Ranger instantly blushed and glanced back at his blade. Ever since the exchange earlier in the morning he didn’t know how to act around her. They had been so intimate with their feelings it was awkward. The Purple Ranger didn’t seemed phased on what had happened, instead, she was brutally teasing him and he didn’t know how to respond to that.  _ Dammit! I’m acting like a lovestruck teen! _ , Antonio thought ashamed. 

Maria noticed he had turned his back on her and his ears were crimson red. Her smile disappeared and her cheeks flustered, nervously tapping her fingers together. “Am I embarrassing you?” The Gold Ranger felt shivers down his spine, noticing that the shy way she was asking reminded him of Tashiko. He turned around, seeing the same thing Tashiko did when she was nervous: tapping her fingers together nervously. 

“No, no! I mean,” Antonio stammered, avoiding her gaze. “I, um, I-” 

Maria let out a nervous chuckle, seeing how nervous the Gold Ranger was. “You turn red every time I smile at you. Did our morning conversation, create an awkwardness?”

“No, no,” Antonio answered weakly. “I turn red because your smile is so beautiful.” 

There was an awkward silence with the Purple Ranger turning away. Antonio noticed his failed attempt to flirt with her and scratched the back of his head. “Your smile makes you look more handsome, you know. You should wear it more often,” Maria replied back. 

Antonio’s eyes widened and he got flustered, blushing immensely. 

The Blue Ranger was about to walk into the Practice Room, when he noticed the two Rangers. He immediately walked backwards and hid behind the sliding doors. 

“Really? Um I guess it’s still hard to when I have the guilt that I stabbed you,” Antonio nervously laughed. Maria laughed as well and pointed out, “I stabbed you back though. And I’ll tell you, that was the hardest thing I had to do.” Her smile disappeared from her face. “It hurt seeing your face flare up in pain, knowing I was the one causing it.” 

“But you saved me,” Antonio told her. “If it weren’t for you, I would still be that….thing.” The Purple Ranger gave him a smile. “I guess we’re both guilty of hurting each other.” Antonio smiled back, chuckling lightly. “I guess so.” 

Suddenly the Gap Sensor sounded, interrupting them. “I guess duty calls,” Antonio pointed out, as his Barracuda Blade disappeared from his hands. “Let’s go then,” Maria smiled, running out of the room. 

The Rangers rushed towards the Common Room, finding the Red Ranger checking over Panorama City’s map. 

“What’s going on?” Kevin asked, glancing at the map. “There’s a Nighlok attack at a temple,” Jayden informed them. “Let’s go.” 

The Rangers gave a nod, following their leader while Mia trailed behind. She turned around to glance at their mentor, noticing his face full of concern. Mia wanted to ask him what the letter was about but decided against it, instead followed her friends into battle. 


	52. Fighting Fire with Fire

The Rangers arrived at the temple, finding Moogers scaring people away. 

“Moogers,” Kevin declared, taking out his Samuraizer. 

“Go, go Samurai!” Jayden called out, transforming into the Red Ranger. The others followed suit, changing into their respective colors. They shot forward, slashing at the Moogers while Fiera sat on top of a tree branch, grinning to herself. She observed the Red Ranger in the middle of the battlefield, taking down the Moogers with ease. 

The blue haired Nighlok cackled slowly, narrowing her eyes. “So that’s the Red Ranger. The head of the Shiba Clan. Interesting.” Fiera got to her feet, the tree branch wavering underneath her as she took out the fire flashers Octoroo had given her earlier. “Time to use these to  _ really _ light him up.” She attached the fire flashers into her gauntlet that was attached to her arm and disappeared in a flurry of feathers. 

“These guys get uglier every time I see them,” Antonio commented, kicking a Mooger away. “Yo, Moogers have cornered the market on ugly,” Mike teased, slashing at one. “It’s what they do best!” 

“Stay focused!” Jayden told both Rangers. 

“Oh c’mon Jayden! Lighten up!” Mike replied. “Antonio is finally getting into the beat of things! Let him have fun!” 

“This isn’t supposed to be fun!” Kevin retaliated, stabbing a Mooger. The Green Ranger rolled his eyes, while the Red Ranger stabbed one that was getting too close to Mike. “Pick your target and focus,” Jayden ordered him, making Mike huff. 

“I’ve already picked mine,” came a voice, alarming the Rangers. 

Jayden spun around to find the Nighlok, only to see a bolt of blue light hitting him, knocking him off his feet. The Red Ranger rolled to his feet, ready to strike the Nighlok down, when a blue fire burst from the left side of his chest. 

Jayden gasped out in pain, collapsing to his knees, grabbing his chest. 

“Jayden!” Kevin yelled out in alarm, watching him struggling to stand. “He’s been hit!” Emily pointed out, slashing down a Mooger. “What was that?” Mia asked, seeing the blue fire erupting from the Red Ranger. It faded away, smoke coming out of the Red Ranger’s chest. 

Jayden planted his sword in the ground, shakingly getting to his feet. He was panting heavily and declared, “My insides feel like they're burning up!” 

“Then let me get you more fired up!” Fiera proclaimed, aiming at the Red Ranger again. She fired at Jayden, making him dodge her attacks. He dived behind a tree, wheezing as he grabbed his burning shoulder. He could feel his skin growing hot like liquid fire as he groaned painfully. The Red Ranger could hear his Ranger’s fighting in the background above his heavy breathing. 

Jayden peeked out from behind the tree, wondering what the Nighlok was hitting him with. He saw that the Nighlok vanished from his sight and murmured, “Where she go?” 

In a flurry of blue feathers, the Nighlok appeared in front of him, aiming at him. “Hello Shiba! Want another?” Fiera fired at him, hitting the surprised Red Ranger square in the chest, sending him flying towards the ground. 

Jayden grunted, rolling on the ground and tried to get to his feet, when a pulse of agonizing pain overwhelmed him. The blue flame erupted from his chest, almost enveloping him completely. “It burns!” Jayden screamed out, collapsing into the floor. 

“Jayden!” Emily yelled out, catching the attention of the other Rangers. The Blue Ranger noticed Fiera approaching the Red Ranger, aiming at him once more. “She’s singling out Jayden!” The Purple Ranger spun around, slashing down a Mooger. “Kevin! Go! We can handle this!” 

The Blue Ranger nodded, dashing towards the Red Ranger. 

Jayden struggled to his feet as the Nighlok looked at him, a smirk on her face. “Is this goodbye, Shiba?” The Red Ranger’s eyes went wide, his hand clenching around his SpinSword. Fiera smiled and fired at him, the Red Ranger watching the blue pulsing light approaching him. 

Suddenly the Blue Ranger pushed the Red Ranger away, taking the hit. The impact sent the Blue Ranger towards the ground, groaning in pain. 

“Kevin!” Jayden panted out, getting off the ground. He watched the Blue Ranger weakly getting to his feet and turn to the Nighlok. 

Fiera scoffed, glaring at the Blue Ranger. “Curse you! That could’ve finished him!” 

The Red Ranger got to his feet, limping towards the Blue Ranger, who was rubbing his chest. “Are you okay, Kev?” Jayden asked worriedly. Kevin nodded at him and stated, “I’m fine. Her blasts are powerful, but they didn’t affect me as much. Are you okay?” 

Jayden ignored his question and turned to the Nighlok, shooting forward. He slashed at Fiera, who easily sidestepped, avoiding his attack. She cackled at his feeble attempts to harm her and disappeared in a flurry of feathers. The Red Ranger’s sword only made contact with air before he collapsed to his knees, panting heavily.

The Blue Ranger ran towards Jayden and kneeled down, grabbing his shoulders. “You’re clearly hurting. What the hell are you thinking Jayden?” 

The Red Ranger glanced at Kevin, asking, “The blast, you don’t look affected by it.” 

Kevin looked at him confused and muttered, “What? What do you mean?” The blue flame enveloped the Red Ranger, catching the Blue Ranger by surprise. Jayden screamed in agonizing pain, almost falling to the ground making Kevin catch him. “I feel like I’m being burned alive!” 

The blue flames vanished once more, leaving a panting Jayden. The Blue Ranger noticed parts of the Red Ranger suit had melted off, revealing charred skin underneath. “Damn,” Kevin breathed in, clenching his jaw. 

Fiera reappeared behind them, causing Kevin to grow alarmed. “Surprise!” she cried out, firing at them. Kevin couldn’t turn in time when a blur of Purple and Gold blocked the attacks, diverting them off the two Rangers. “Are you guys okay?” Antonio asked. “I’m fine,” Kevin nodded seeing the other Rangers circling around them. 

The Red Ranger’s body flared up in blue flames once more, screaming in pain. 

The Rangers looked at their leader horrified. “What’s wrong with him?” Mike asked, looking at the others. “Why is that just happening to him?” 

“I’ll tell you why?” Fiera declared, overhearing their conversation. “The head of the Shiba Clan has massive Fire Symbol power! My fire flashers simply ignite the flames already inside of him!” The Nighlok vanished in a flurry of feathers, making the Rangers clench their jaws angrily. 

“You can’t stop me! One more hit and your Red Ranger’s life will be over!” 

“Maria!” Kevin called out, making the Purple Ranger nod. 

“On it!”

The Blue Ranger took her place, while she took his, kneeling beside the Red Ranger. Maria looked him over, noticing his Ranger aura diminishing quickly. “Hold on Jay,” Maria told him, placing her hands on his chest. But the flames around the Red Ranger flared up, intensifying, making it worse. “Shit!” Maria gasped out, removing her hands from his chest. 

“Nice try Purple Ranger!” Fiera’s voice echoed around them. “But even your healing powers can’t save him! Your Ranger aura is a sub element of fire, the more you pour your power into him, the faster you kill him!” 

“Dammit!” Mike muttered, clenching his sword tightly. 

“What do we do?” Mia asked Kevin, who was beginning to sweat nervously. “If Maria can’t heal him…”

“He’s going to die,” Emily muttered anxiously. 

“Where is she?” Mike growled, his eyes darting around the area. 

“Right here, Green!” Fiera declared, appearing around the Rangers, firing at them. 

The Ranger’s blocked her hits but they were too fast, causing them to get hit. 

Jayden saw his Rangers getting bombarded by the attacks and sat up, clutching his burning chest. “Stop taking hits for me!” 

The Ranger groaned, slowly getting to their feet. 

“We have to protect you!” Mike declared, breathing heavily. “Besides, her hits aren’t that strong! We’re a team Jay!” 

“Mike’s right! If she wants you, she has to get through us!” Emily nodded. 

“We seven are a team till the end!” Antonio told him. 

“You’re too loyal!” Jayden whispered, watching his friends getting ready for Fiera’s next attack. 

“Ready to have a blast?” Fiera cackled, aiming at them once more. She fired at them rapidly, knocking the Rangers off their feet. The Rangers struggled to stand when she kept bombarding them with blasts, keeping them on the ground. 

“Stop protecting me!” Jayden yelled at them. “Save yourselves!” 

Maria converted her SpinSword into her Lightning Kamas, her Purple ribbons tying around her arms. She was about to attack but Kevin grabbed her hand, surprising her. “Take Jayden away from here!” Kevin ordered her. 

“What?” Maria exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide. 

“Just do it!” Kevin yelled at her. 

The Purple Ranger made her weapons disappear, taking out her Samuraizer. “Time Freeze!” she yelled, freezing the area around her. She quickly darted towards the Red Ranger, touching him, unfreezing Jayden. She placed Jayden’s arm across her shoulders and stated, “Let’s go!” 

“No!” Jayden cried out, hating how everyone was willing to die for him, even after everything. “I can handle this!” 

“No you can’t! Not in this condition!” Maria shouted back as they limped through the forest. 

The area around them started to move, causing the Nighlok to glance around. She noticed the Purple and Red Rangers had vanished, making her scoff angrily. She fired at the Rangers, sending them flying towards the ground. “Come back here!” she yelled, disappearing in a flurry of feathers. “Running away from me won’t help!”

* * *

“You out of everyone, know that I’m worthless! I don’t give a damn that I die!” Jayden told Maria as they ran through the forest. “You have to let me fight Fiera! The others shouldn’t die because of me!” 

“They don’t know that!” Maria replied. “They don’t know of your secret! They would care if their Red Ranger decided to suicide without an explanation! Have faith in them would you? They won’t die!” 

“You don’t know that!” Jayden spat back. 

“Dammit Jayden!” Maria shouted at him. “Why don’t you let them do this for you!” 

The Red Ranger ignored her, a white light covering him as he turned Super Red. 

“Nice vest,” Fiera’s voice pointed out. 

The two Rangers gasped in alarm, finding Fiera appearing before them. She fired at them, causing both Rangers to dive to the ground, skidding the floor. They rolled to their feet, with Jayden wielding the sword in front of him, powering up his SpinSword. 

Suddenly the blue flame enveloped him, making him cry out in pain. His Super Samurai power vanished and he collapsed into the ground. 

“Jayden!” Maria told him, seeing that his Ranger aura was almost fading away. He was struggling to stand making Fiera laugh. “Every time you use your Symbol Power, you enhance the spell.” 

The Purple Ranger scoffed, summoning her SpinSword, changing it into her Lightning Kamas. Lightning crackled around her and was ready to attack but the Nighlok had vanished from sight. Maria glanced around, slowly approaching the Red Ranger, noticing that he was trembling. “You’re not well,” Maria told him, kneeling beside him. “I’m fine!” Jayden panted feverishly. 

“Surprise!” Fiera declared, appearing in front of them and fired. The blast sent both Rangers flying through the air, with the Purple Ranger slamming into a monument while the Red Ranger skidded the ground. 

Jayden trembled as he slowly got up, noticing the Purple Ranger laid on the ground. “Maria!” he yelled weakly. He grabbed into the broken monument, seeing her powered down. 

“You humans are pitiful,” Fiera declared, walking towards him. “You think this noble self-sacrifice will save everyone, but it won’t. This is the end of the line, Shiba.” 

The Red Ranger summoned his Bullzooka and aimed at Fiera, but she disappeared, reappearing behind him. She fired at his back, sending him flying forward, demorphing. Jayden landed on the ground, the weapon clattering a few feet away from him. 

Fiera watched his feeble attempt to reach for the Bullzooka, when the blue flame enveloped him. “Nice try, Shiba. This is goodbye!” 

Maria got off the ground, lightning crackling around her. She glanced around to find Fiera aiming at the Red Ranger. The Purple Ranger’s eyes went wide in horror and she dashed towards them. She appeared in front of the Nighlok, surprising her as Maria kicked the Bullzooka into her hands. She aimed at the Nighlok and growled, “No, goodbye to you, Nighlok! Bullzooka Blast!” 

The fiery form of the Bullzord shot towards the Nighlok, slamming into her, making Fiera scream. She landed on the ground exploding, ending her first life. 

The Purple Ranger lowered the weapon, disappearing from her hands. She glanced at the Red Ranger who gave her a weakened smile. Maria chuckled in relief, running towards the Red Ranger. “Are you okay?” 

Jayden slowly gave a nod, still breathing heavily. His Ranger aura kept diminishing, making the Purple Ranger look at him worriedly. 

“Stay with me Jayden. Stay with me.”

* * *

Behind some trees, Dayu and Octoroo watched with narrowed eyes. 

“Strange the fire didn’t consume him,” Dayu noted with narrowed eyes. “What happened?” 

Octoroo was trembling in anger, clenching his jaw tightly. “If he was the head of the Shiba Clan, what would be left was a clump of ashes. There can only be one explanation.”

* * *

The other Rangers found the Purple and Red Rangers and ran towards them. 

“Jayden!” Kevin gasped out, skidding the ground. Antonio kneeled beside the Purple Ranger, grabbing Jayden’s arm, squeezing it. “You got to hang on buddy!” 

The Red Ranger observed his Samurai Rangers, seeing them mostly unharmed. They had been in the front lines, protecting him, yet he hadn’t told them his biggest secret. They trusted him so much but he couldn’t. 

The ground suddenly shook as Fiera grew mega sized in the distance, roaring angrily. “You can join your Red Ranger when I’m through with you!” Fiera cried out. 

Jayden summoned the Black Box in his hands and shakingly gave it to the Blue Ranger. Kevin took it, his worried eyes looking at Jayden. “You’ve got to lead the team, Kev,” Jayden whispered. The Blue Ranger gave a nod to his leader, understanding his order. “You can count on me Jayden.” 

Kevin glanced at the Purple Ranger. “Stay with him.” Maria nodded in response as the Rangers got to their feet. 

“Go, kill that bitch,” Maria stated. The Rangers crackled into smiles with Mike saluting her. “Oh, we will.”

“Let’s go!” Kevin told the others, rushing into battle.

* * *

In the distance, a blonde haired woman could see Fiera destroying the temple around her in a fit of rage. 

“Seems that the Samurai Rangers got a handful,” a voice told the blonde haired woman. “With their Red Ranger down, they will fail.” 

“That’s why I’m here,” the blonde haired woman responded. “I will take his place.” A hand fell on the blonde haired woman’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Then go child, go save the others.” 

The blonde haired woman glanced at the person behind her, whose raven hair danced with the gentle wind. “I will, sensei.” The blonde haired woman glanced back at the battle in the distance, jumping down the small cliff. She landed on her feet and rushed through the forest while her sensei watched. 

A sinister smile spread across the sensei's face. 

“Now, it’s time for the Rangers to be torn apart.”

* * *

The Purple Ranger watched the battle while holding the Red Ranger in her arms. 

“Hey,” Jayden weakly called out, his green eyes looking at her with sadness. “If I die, can you tell the Rangers that I’m sorry for keeping  _ her _ a secret?” 

“Don’t say that!” Maria scolded him, her hazel eyes wide in shock. She could see his life-force wavering and his aura getting dimmer. “I’m being burned inside out,” Jayden wheezed, squeezing her hand. “It sucks to be honest. Never thought I was going to die by being burned alive.” 

“Stop saying that!” Maria proclaimed, glaring at the Red Ranger. “I didn’t come back in time to watch you die again!” Jayden looked at her, seeing her hazel eyes filled with frustrated tears. The Red Ranger glanced away. “Why do you care for me so much? Despite knowing my secret, you care what happens to me.” 

“Of course!” Maria replied. “You’re one of my closest friends, a brother I’ve never had! The only family I had!” The Purple Ranger sighed and murmured, “Jay, I was abandoned by my mother. I don’t even know who she is, or was. She left me in a basket at the Tengen Gate.” 

“The monks there, raised me as a shrine maiden until I began to display Symbol power. I was sent to the Shiba House where you and Lauren had just lost your father. There, I grew up with you two, until…” 

The ground shook violently, making both Ranger’s glance up. 

The Megazord was falling apart before their eyes, causing them to gap in shock.

“NO!” Jayden gasped out, his eyes wide in horror. The Red Ranger trembled as he struggled to his feet but Maria pulled him down. “No! You’re too injured!” 

“But the others! They need us!” Jayden replied, looking at her fearfully. Maria could see the terror in his eyes and she clenched her jaw. She summoned her Wolf Zord, the Zord appearing next to them, barking. 

“The Rangers need us!” Maria told her Zord, helping Jayden to his feet. But the Red Ranger could barely stand. His legs buckled from underneath him, wheezing in pain. “Jayden!” 

Suddenly her Wolf Zord growled, making her turn to glance at Lyall, finding a blonde haired woman walking towards them. Maria’s hazel eyes went wide, making her take a sharp inward breath. 

“You!” 

The blonde haired woman narrowed her eyes and calmly stated, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.” 

Maria stood frozen as the blonde haired woman took out an old Samuraizer, morphing into the Red Samurai Ranger. She disappeared from sight, making Maria watch her summon the Lion Zord towards her. 

The Purple Ranger’s attention was suddenly drawn back to Jayden, who went limp on her. 


	53. Jayden's Secret

The Rangers struggled from Fiera’s attacks as their Zords went into their inactive states. The Nighlok cackled maniacally as she bombarded the Rangers with her blasts.

“What do we do?” Mike asked, struggling to grab into the cockpit. 

The Blue Ranger glanced around, seeing the Rangers wincing in fear. “I-I don’t know,” Kevin muttered helplessly. 

Suddenly the Lion Zord roared, causing the Rangers to witness the Zord running towards Fiera. He slammed his head into her, sending her flying backwards. Fiera skidded the ground and rolled to her feet, her eyes wide in shock. “No! That can’t be!” 

“Jayden?” Emily whispered. 

“That can’t be Jayden,” Antonio pointed out. “He was too injured to stand, right?” 

The Blue Ranger looked out his Zord’s window, finding Maria with Jayden leaning against her. “Jayden is still down there.” 

“Then who’s in the Lion Zord?” Mia questioned, looking at the Lion Zord. 

“I believe that’s enough, Nighlok,” the Red female Samurai Ranger declared. She drove the Lion Zord back towards Fiera, hitting her abdomen. “I’m going to make you pay for hurting Jayden.” 

Fiera cackled at her declaration and stated, “You wanna bet on that?” She fired at the Lion Zord, who easily dodged her attacks. “I’ve already bet on you losing,” the blonde haired woman answered. “It’s time for you to die.” 

The Lion Zord opened his mouth, sending a fire attack at the Nighlok. The fire enveloped Fiera and warped around her, tying her arms down. Fiera yelled out in surprise, the fire preventing her from moving and burned through her skin. “I can’t move!” 

The Red Ranger took out her SpinSword from the Lion Zord’s cockpit, waving it in front of her. “Mega Blade activate! Pentagonal Fury!” The Lion Zord roared, jumping in the air, flames surrounding the Zord and zoomed right into Fiera, cutting her in half. The Nighlok’s mouth opened in a soundless yell as she fell into the ground, exploding. 

“Whoa,” Mike declared, his eyes wide in shock. 

“What did I just witness?” Antonio stated, glancing at the Rangers. “Was that another person piloting the Lion Zord?” 

“We can deal with that later,” Emily pointed out. “We need to take Jayden to Mentor now!” She disappeared from her Ape Zord, with the other Rangers nodding.

* * *

The Rangers rushed towards the Purple Ranger, finding her on top of her Wolf Zord with Jayden. 

“How is he?” Mia asked her, noticing the Red Ranger leaning against Maria. “Not good,” Maria told her. “He still has residue of the Nether flames. Mentor probably can whip up something to get rid of them.” 

“Right,” Mia nodded. 

“Mind if I ride along?” Antonio asked, frowning in concern. 

“Not at all,” the Purple Ranger told him, making Wolf Zord bend down so the Gold Ranger could get on. 

“Don’t kiss along the way,” Mike teased, earning a blush from both Rangers. 

“Stop,” came a voice. 

Antonio paused mid climb while the other Rangers got their guard up. 

They all turned around to find a female Red Samurai Ranger standing behind them. 

The Rangers summoned their SpinSwords, getting in front of the Wolf Zord. “Who are you?” Emily asked, narrowing her eyes. “Are you the one who piloted the Lion Zord?” Mike growled. 

The Red Samurai Ranger demorphed, revealing a young blonde haired woman with green eyes. She gave them a gentle smile, surprising them. “My name is Lauren Shiba, the real Red Samurai Ranger and Jayden’s older sister.” 

“What?!” the Rangers exclaimed confused. 

Lauren gave them a small smile and declared, “I know right now you must be very confused. But I will explain when we get to the Shiba House.” 

The Rangers made their weapons disappear, exchanging glances. “I didn’t know Jayden had an older sister,” Mike murmured, watching Lauren approach the Wolf Zord. 

Lauren saw her brother’s condition and glanced at the Rangers. “What happened to my brother?” 

The Purple Ranger shook her head, trying to get rid of her shock. “Fire flashers,” Maria answered. “He’s in bad shape.” Antonio noticed Maria tense at Lauren’s approach and he narrowed his eyes.  _ Why is she bringing her guard up? _

The Red Ranger touched Jayden’s face, noticing the burns covering his body. “These were meant for me,” she whispered, her green eyes watering. “Now he’s hurt.” Lauren closed her eyes, a few tears slipping down her face. “I’m sorry Jayden.” 

“We should take him to the Shiba House,” Maria declared, turning the Wolf Zord away from her. “Right!” the others nodded. 

The Wolf Zord took on full speed, leaving the Red Ranger and the others behind. 

Lauren narrowed her eyes at the Purple Ranger, who disappeared from sight. 

The rest of the Rangers smiled at Lauren. “Lauren, I want to welcome you to the Samurai Rangers,” Kevin told her, extending his hand at her. 

“Thank you,” Lauren replied, shaking his hand. “I can’t wait to know each and everyone of you.”

* * *

Serena was sipping tea as she read a book in the Common Room. She heard a noise outside, making the White Ranger set her tea and book down. She headed outside to find the Wolf Zord with the Purple and Gold Rangers. 

Lyall laid on the ground so both Ranger’s could get off with the Red Ranger between their arms. Serena covered her mouth in shock and immediately headed towards them, asking them what had happened. 

“A Nighlok attacked him with fire flashers,” Antonio explained as they headed towards the infirmary. 

“It’s a Nighlok spell that was burning Jayden inside out,” Maria added. “I can’t heal him.” 

“Your Symbol Power being a sub element of fire enhances it,” Serena nodded in understanding. They laid the Red Ranger in bed while Serena quickly grabbed some items from the shelves. “One of you tell Mentor that he’s in here.” 

Antonio glanced at Maria, giving her a nod. The Purple Ranger watched the Gold Ranger leave the infirmary while Serena grabbed some bandages. The White Ranger set them beside the Red Ranger and noticed the Purple Ranger’s face. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked her.

"Lauren," Maria answered, looking at Serena. "The _real_ Red Ranger is here." 

* * *

The other Ranger’s arrived later, bombarding their Mentor with questions that Ji promised to answer. 

“It’s fine Ji,” Lauren interrupted them. “I’ll explain everything to them. You can go check on my brother.” 

Mentor Ji gave her a bow and left the Common Room, the other Rangers taking seats. Antonio joined them as well, taking a seat beside Emily. 

Lauren took a seat where Jayden usually sat and looked at the Rangers, who seemed weary of her. “I know that you all must be upset that Mentor Ji and Jayden kept from you. But do know that this was best for my brother and I.” 

“Why were you kept apart?” Emily asked. The Red Ranger noticed the sadness in her brown eyes and Lauren sighed. 

“The Nighlok and you all, didn't know I existed because it was part of my father’s secret plan. In the last invasion, Master Xandred’s forces were waging an intense battle. They were overwhelming the Samurai Rangers. My father put all his faith in us.” Lauren clenched her fists tightly. “I was sent off and put into hiding so I could fully master the Sealing Power. While I practiced the Sealing Symbol, someone had to continue to fight off the Nighlok.” 

“That’s where Jayden came in,” Kevin nodded in understanding. 

“But Jayden was only a small child back then,” Mia noted. 

“My father feared he himself hadn’t mastered the Sealing Power, but he was determined to try,” Lauren explained. “He hoped that an imperfect seal would be strong enough to at least send Master Xandred to the bottom of the Sanzu River. Long enough to allow me to truly master the symbol myself and for Jayden to grow strong enough to protect the world until I did.”

“To deceive the Nighlok, my brother had to keep me a secret, even from you.” 

There was a silence before Antonio got to his feet angrily. “Jayden must have felt his whole life was a lie because of this! All these years training for nothing and now you show up out of nowhere!” 

The Rangers looked at the Gold Ranger in surprise but understood where he was coming from. 

The Red Ranger glanced at the Gold Ranger, curling her lips. “You out of everyone here, shouldn’t be questioning my father’s motives!” The Gold Ranger flinched back and curled his lip upwards. “You shouldn’t even be here. You’re not of the clans. You pitied your sword against the Samurai Rangers. You should’ve been kicked out!” 

“Hey!” Mike began, rushing to his feet but Kevin pulled him back. The Green Ranger looked at his friend questioningly when he felt Kevin’s trembling grip. 

“You should be glad Jayden was in charge, because if it was me, I would have exiled you a long time ago,” Lauren continued, getting to her feet. 

“Sorry, but Jayden’s in charge, not you!” Antonio spat back. 

“Not anymore,” Lauren declared. “From today on, I’m your new leader. I’m ready to seal the Nighlok away!” 

“You’re not my leader,” Antonio growled. “I didn’t swore to you. I swore to Jayden to protect him at all costs!” 

“You shouldn’t be questioning your brother’s motives,” Maria stated, appearing behind Lauren. 

The Red Ranger glanced over her shoulder in surprise, finding the Purple Ranger behind her. “If Jayden felt that Antonio should’ve stayed, you should respect that. Besides, everyone here has already forgiven him.” 

“In fact, fire princess, you appear out of thin air and you think you can already boss us around. You should really learn your place. You cannot expect them to trust you when you’re already causing problems.” 

Lauren narrowed her eyes at the Purple Ranger, knowing she was right and sighed. She turned to the Rangers and nodded, “I apologize. I didn’t want to sound rude.”

“It’s fine,” Antonio answered. “But you should be more considerate about other’s feelings.” The Gold Ranger took a few steps back and left the Common Room. The other Rangers watched him leave with the Purple Ranger after him but Lauren called her back. 

“Why are you here, Purple Ranger?” 

The rest of the Rangers glanced at the Red Ranger surprised at her question.

“You were banished from the clans a long time ago,” Lauren continued. “Did my brother soften up to you and let you in as well?” 

“She’s here to protect us,” Emily began, getting to her feet. 

Lauren glanced at the Yellow Ranger, shaking her head. “You misunderstand, Yellow Ranger. A Purple Ranger’s duty isn’t to protect, is to destroy timelines. To keep order….in time…..” The Red Ranger’s eyes went wide and turned to Maria. The Rangers glanced at Maria, who had her back towards the Rangers. 

“You’re not from here,” Lauren commented quietly. “Are you?” 

“She’s from the year 2020,” Mike told Lauren. “She’s here to prevent out deaths from the future.” 

“I see,” Lauren nodded in understanding. “That’s why there’s ripples in time…” 

“What?” Kevin stated, his eyes going wide.

“You need to go back to your own time,” Lauren demanded. 

“Why?” Mia asked confused. “What’s going on?” 

“She needs to go back to her time in order to stop all this destruction to this timeline,” Lauren declared. “She’s the one who caused the Yellow Ranger to die and the cause of the corruption of the Gold Ranger.” The Red Ranger looked at the Purple Ranger. “You need to go home. If you avoided whatever thing you did, the future must have changed.” 

A nervous chuckle emitted from the Purple Ranger.

“I knew they would notice sooner or later.” 

“What do you mean?” Mike questioned, looking back and forth from the Red and Purple Rangers. Maria turned to the Rangers with a saddened glance. “I might have come from the future, but I come from a different timeline. One that my Red Ranger destroyed the moment I left. I can’t go back home. The Purple Ranger from this timeline, must have noticed that someone has been changing all of your fates and wants me to leave.” 

“You can’t!” Emily began, grabbing Maria’s arm. “You can’t leave!” 

“I’m not sure if that’s my choice anymore,” Maria told her. “If Lauren is right and  _ they’ve _ noticed, I might not have much time left before they hunt me down.” 

“Then we’ll fight off whoever they are,” Mike declared, making the other Rangers nod. Maria looked at her friends, knowing it was futile fight and looked at Lauren, who shared the same look of concern. 

She  _ knew _ who the Purple Ranger was.

* * *

“Dammit!” Octoroo yelled, swinging his arm around, knocking off several items from the shelf. “The Rangers played us for fools!” He turned to glare at Dayu, who was busy petting a Furry wart. “He was an imposter all along! That’s why he never used the Sealing Power and why those fire flashers didn’t work on him! I’m such a fool!” 

Dayu watched the other Nighlok fume in anger and glanced out the window of Xandred’s ship. “If Master Xandred were here, his rage alone might flood the Sanzu River.”

* * *

Mike found the Gold Ranger practicing by himself with his Barracuda Blade. He could tell he was frustrated and angry with the way he was hitting the poor dummy. 

“Ant, you okay bro?” Mike asked, making the Gold Ranger turn towards the Green Ranger. Antonio let out a breath, giving him a nod before hitting the dummy. The Green Ranger sighed and walked towards the Gold Ranger. “Look, what Lauren told you…” 

“I’m not letting her words affect me,” Antonio answered, hitting the dummy harder. “She’s a Red Ranger and I need to respect her, but she’ll never be Jayden.” 

“I know,” Mike replied, nodding. “But you got to admit, what she told you wasn’t cool. She was being a bitch.” 

Antonio sighed, wiping the sweat off his face. “I know. I just hope she isn’t like that or else we’ll be in trouble.” Mike cracked a smile and stated, “Mind if I join you?” The Gold Ranger smiled and nodded at him. 

“Go for it.”

* * *

The Purple Ranger watched the Red Ranger sleep in the infirmary bed. He had been bandaged for all the burns he had sustained from the fire flashers. 

Serena put away the medical supplies, noticing how silent and thoughtful Maria was. She walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. “Your healing does wonders now that the Nether Spell got quenched. He should wake in the next few hours.” 

Maria sighed in relief, nodding. “I’m glad. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t make it.” 

“Me too,” Serena answered, giving Jayden a small smile. “But he’s strong. He’ll pull through, he’s always have.” She noticed that the Purple Ranger had gotten lost in her thoughts once more and squeezed her shoulder. “Are you okay?” 

“No,” Maria replied. “I just had a conversation with the new Red Ranger. It seems I don’t have much time left.” 

Serena looked at her confused and crossed her arms across her chest. “Don’t tell me you’re going to vanish into thin air and reincarnate or something again.” 

Maria glanced at her confused and shook her head. “What, no. It’s just…” The Purple Ranger sighed. “The Purple Ranger from this timeline will probably hunt me down for changing the timeline so much. Lauren just warned me about it and I think she knows who the Purple Ranger is.” 

“What makes you think that?” Serena asked, sitting across from the Purple Ranger. 

“The Rangers told me they would try to defend me from  _ her _ ,” Maria explained. “But when I glanced at Lauren, I could see the fear in her eyes. I think she knows more than what she’s letting on and that worries me.” 

Serena frowned, clasping her hands together, getting thoughtful. “That does sound worrying.” 

There was a knock before the doors slid open, revealing Lauren. “Oh, sorry,” Lauren began, noticing that the two women were talking. “I can just come back later…” 

“It’s fine,” Maria answered, getting to her feet. “I was about to leave.” The Purple Ranger gave Jayden’s hand a squeeze before giving Lauren a worried look. The Red Ranger gave her one back and Maria left the infirmary. 

Lauren glanced at Serena and asked, “How is he?” 

“He’s doing great,” Serena told her, leading her towards the bed Jayden lay in. “He’s still in bad shape, but he’ll wake soon.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Lauren sighed in relief. “You can stay here if you want,” Serena suggested. “I’ll stay here in keep watch his health.” 

“That’ll be great, thank you.” 


	54. Jayden's Departure

Jayden slowly opened his eyes to face the white ceiling of the infirmary.  _ How did I get here? _ , he questioned. The Red Ranger glanced around, finding Serena sitting in a chair at the corner of the room, dozed off.  _ What happened? _

The doors slid open and a tired Lauren walked in with a tray of tea. Jayden’s eyes went wide, finding his older sister standing a few feet away from there.  _ No….That can’t be… _ He didn’t make a sound, watching Lauren place the tray in a table near Serena and poured into the two cups she had. The Red Ranger took one in her hands and turned to Jayden. 

Her face lit up seeing him awake, dropping the cup of tea. She rushed towards him, enveloping him in a hug. 

“Jayden! Oh Jayden! You’re okay!” Lauren breathed, hugging her brother tightly. Jayden hesitated to embrace her before placing his face into her shoulder. He bit his lip from letting out a sob and hugged her tightly. Lauren broke their hug and she gently grabbed his face, her eyes filled with tears. 

“It’s been too long! How are you feeling?” Lauren asked, her voice wavering.

“Better,” Jayden answered with a smile. Lauren looked over her brother, noticing his burns were less grave than the day before.

“Maria’s healing worked wonders, didn’t it?” She smiled at Jayden, happiness lightening up her green eyes. “I was proud watching you fight the other day. You’re grown into a true Samurai. Dad would’ve been proud.” 

Jayden’s cheeks flushed red at his sister’s complement and murmured, “You were the one who probably tore up the battle field.” 

Lauren let out a soft chuckle. “Maybe.”

A silence overcame both siblings before Lauren stated, “I thought of you often over the years. Wondering how you were growing and what kind of person you would turn into.” Her smile vanished and let out a sigh. “The thought of you growing up alone like me, crossed my mind as well.” 

The Red Ranger sighed, nodding. “At first, I did. But I learned to trust my teammates, my friends. They’ve become like brothers and sisters to me.” 

Lauren smiled. “I’m glad. I hope I can become part of the family now.” She took his hands and looked at him, hope glittering her eyes. “You and me, surrounded by friends.” 

Jayden’s smile disappeared from his face and let out a sigh. “Lauren, you know we can’t be together, right?” 

Lauren’s smile disappeared and her green eyes began to fill up with tears. “I had hoped that maybe there would be some way-” 

“You know that the only way for you to become the Red Ranger is for me to leave,” Jayden interrupted. “I always knew that this day would come eventually. That you could come back and take your place as the Red Ranger.” 

“But why?” Lauren whispered, a few tears slipping down her face. 

“The Sealing Power is the only way to save the world,” Jayden explained. “It must be protected and that means protecting you at all costs!” He squeezed Lauren’s hand that was tightly around his. “I don’t want to do this either, Lauren. But the Rangers are too loyal to me. If I stay, I would put everything at risk.” 

Lauren looked at him, sadness spreading across her face. “I just got you back. I can’t… I can’t lose you again!” 

“I know,” Jayden murmured, hugging his sister. “But it’s too risky. Dangerous mistakes could be made.” 

Lauren hugged her brother tighter, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her face. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I like this decision.” 

“I know… ”

* * *

Antonio walked around the forest surrounding the Shiba House and found the Purple Ranger near the river. She was sitting on a tree branch, overlooking the river with a saddened glare. 

Antonio cupped his hands around his mouth and stated, “I doubt the glare will evaporate the river!” 

Maria jumped, broken from her thoughts and glanced at the Gold Ranger, scoffing. A smile spread across her face and shook her head. “You’re crazy.” 

“And you love me for it!” Antonio told her back. “What are you doing up there?”

Maria stood on the tree branch before jumping down, landing on her feet. “Thinking.” She approached Antonio, who gave her a worried look. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine, I think I should be the one asking you that question,” Maria answered, her eyes looking over him. “After the exchange you and Lauren had the other day…” 

“I’m not letting her words affect me,” Antonio interrupted, waving his hands in front of him. “Good,” Maria smiled. Antonio smiled at her back and Maria noticed that wasn’t the only thing he wanted to talk about. “What is it?” 

“I heard from the others about what Lauren told you,” Antonio began worriedly. “About someone finding out that you’re here or something like that.” 

“Oh, that,” Maria sighed, turning away from the Gold Ranger. “You shouldn’t worry about that.” 

“But I am,” Antonio stated, grabbing her arm. “You’re more than just a friend, you’re the woman I love. I can’t lose you.” 

“You aren’t going to lose me,” Maria replied, glancing back at the Gold Ranger. “None of you are going to lose me. I swear on that.”

“But who is looking for you?” Antonio asked confused. “Who wants you to leave?” 

“The Purple Ranger from this time,” Maria declared. Antonio blinked puzzled and stated, “But I thought you were-” 

“I’m not,” Maria shook her head. “I’m from a different timeline. All the events from this time are different from mine. You were Rangers years before mine and everything is different. I must have jumped timelines instead of my own time. I’m not sure, but this Purple Ranger can’t do anything to me.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Antonio proclaimed. 

“Because I’m an anomaly,” Maria told him. “I’ve been dead before and revived. The ‘Maria’ of this time doesn’t exist because if she did, I would have had symptoms of time effects, but I haven’t.” 

“Wait, you’ve been dead?” Antonio breathed, taking a step back. Maria gave him a nod. 

“In the year 2012 of my timeline, the Rangers and I fought against Xandred. At the moment Xandred had arrived on Earth, Lauren and I were training in the Tengen Gate. We got the call to go back to Panorama City. The Rangers who were Jayden, Serena, Mike, Mia, Kevin and you, where fighting Xandred,” Maria explained. “I joined the rest of my friends to battle while Lauren tried to do the Sealing Symbol.” 

Maria closed her eyes remembering the future, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“Xandred approached Jayden, who was badly wounded and tried to kill him. Lauren stopped her Sealing Symbol and rushed to help her brother. She rushed to him and hugged him tightly, not caring if both of them died by Xandred’s sword. I couldn’t let them die.” 

“You got in the way,” Antonio murmured, his eyes filled with sadness. 

Maria pulled her blouse down, showing Antonio a scar above her left breast, where Xandred’s sword had gone through. “Xandred’s Broadsword went through me, killing me.” 

“How are you alive?’” Antonio questioned. “Why didn’t you freeze time?” 

“At the heat of battle, you can’t think straight,” Maria responded. “And neither did Lauren when she casted the Forbidden Symbol on me.” 

“She gave her life up to you,” Antonio murmured. Maria nodded, letting out a sigh. “She didn’t need to use it. She didn’t have to give up her life to an abandoned child her mother didn’t even want. She should’ve let me die. I had nothing to lose. She had everything but chose to believe a prophecy that might not even come true.” 

“What prophecy?” Antonio asked. 

“Lauren heard a prophecy where the Purple Ranger would become a great warrior and save the world. But I’m not great Antonio. Ever since she brought me back, I’ve only suffered. I saw the future become hell itself, watching my friends die around me and I couldn’t do anything. My destiny was to die back where Xandred killed me. It would have been an honorable death.” 

“But if she let you die, you wouldn’t have ever come to the past,” Antonio pointed out, touching her face. “We wouldn’t have met you. You wouldn’t have saved us multiple times. I wouldn’t have met you and fallen in love with you. Maybe this was your destiny and you didn’t know it.” 

The Gold Ranger gave her a smile. “If you would have died, we wouldn’t have met again.” 

Maria glanced away, knowing he was right. If she had perished during that battle, she wouldn’t have met the Rangers once again.

Antonio lifted her chin up, kissing her lightly on the lips, surprising her. She kissed him back before their foreheads touched, chuckling lightly. 

In the shadows, a cloaked person with raven hair watched them from behind a tree. "You don't believe on the prophecy, Maria Abukara, but I do. For I will be the prophesied one and you will die."  The cloaked person disappeared from sight, leaving the two Rangers alone.

* * *

The next day, the Rangers planned a picnic to officially welcome Lauren to the Shiba House. Everyone was excited and was quickly setting everything up. 

The Gold Ranger was flipping burgers on the grill, while Mike tried to sneak a burger. “Hey!” Antonio declared, catching him in the act. “Can’t you wait?” 

Mike grinned at him guiltily and flopped down on the wooden picnic table. “Sorry. Emily and I had an intense day.” 

Maria was setting up the plates and placed one in front of the Green Ranger. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Did she kick your ass that bad?” 

“No!” Mike whined with a sigh. “I just let her win a couple of times.” 

Antonio placed a burger on a plate, offering it to the Green Ranger. Mike eagerly took it, quickly grabbing the ketchup bottle. 

Serena and Mia walked towards the table, carrying bags of chips with Emily behind them. The Yellow Ranger was carrying the bottles of sodas when she noticed the female Red Ranger standing in the doorway confused. 

The Yellow Ranger noticed her and smiled. “Hey, Lauren!” 

The Red Ranger glanced at the Yellow Ranger, offering her a small smile. “Hello Emily.” 

“Join us. We’re having a picnic today!” 

Lauren looked uncomfortable and asked, “You want me to join?” “Of course!” Emily nodded, taking her hand and led her outside. 

“Hey Lauren!” Mike waved to the Red Ranger. “Good to see you!” 

Lauren approached the Green Ranger, seeing the Gold and Purple Ranger’s smiling at each other. The Purple Ranger grabbed a plate with a burger and offered it to her. “Bet that in the mountains, they didn’t cook you burgers.” 

Lauren looked at her surprised but then reminded herself that she probably knew her from the future. She took it from her hands and chuckled nervously. “No. Thank you.” 

The Red Ranger placed the plate in front of her and put her Samuraizer beside her. The White and Pink Rangers sat at each side of her, taking their plates from the Purple Ranger. 

Mike caught sight of Lauren’s Samuraizer, seeing it was an older version of theirs. “Whoa! This is a classic!” he gasped, taking it from beside the Red Ranger, examining it. Mike opened it, checking it out, while Lauren grew nervous seeing how the Green Ranger was handling it like a toy. 

“I could write Kanji Symbols like a master with this thing!” Mike joked, pretending to write kanji. The White Ranger rolled her eyes at the Green Ranger, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t go that far, tree boy.” 

Emily chuckled, glancing at Lauren, who was puzzled. “Mike has kanji issues. He thinks a new Samuraizer would fix it.”

Antonio snorted at Emily’s remark, while Kevin shrugged in agreement. 

Lauren gently took the Samuraizer from Mike’s hands and stated, “This Samuraizer belong to my father. He used it in his last battle.” She stared at it longingly while Mike turned bright red in shame. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t know.” 

The Red Ranger glanced at him. “It’s fine. You didn’t know.”

* * *

Jayden packed his clothes into a small bag, wincing. His injuries still ached but he didn’t care. He zipped his bag closed and looked at the small wooden box in his bookshelf. Jayden approached it and took it in his hands, opening it. He glanced at the Black Box and all his disks with a sigh. 

Mentor Ji was walking by when he noticed Jayden in his room. He watched Jayden pack his items and stared at him in shock. The ex Red Ranger threw the bag over his shoulder and turned to leave, only to find Ji in the way. 

“What are you doing?” Mentor Ji questioned him, his eyes wide in confusion. The Red Ranger sighed and told him, “I’m leaving.” 

The Red Ranger walked past the man, making him turn around as Jayden exited the house.

* * *

“We should have a girls day out!” Emily told the Red Ranger. “We can show you around the city and go shopping!” 

Lauren looked surprised at the Yellow Ranger’s offer and slowly nodded. “Sure. I haven’t visited the city before.”

“Then it’s set!” Mia declared, grinning. “We can take Serena and Maria,” Emily pointed out, glancing at the Purple Ranger conversing with the Gold Ranger. She giggled at the sight while Mia snickered. 

The Red Ranger looked at Maria, who laughed at Antonio’s joke. She let out a small smile and stated, “Sure, why not? The more, the merrier.” Lauren glanced back at Emily, only to catch sight of Jayden walking out of the Shiba House with a backpack. 

The blood drained from her face and her heart dropped. 

“Hey! Look who decided to join us!” Antonio teased, seeing Jayden standing in the Shiba House doorway. “Join us Jayden!” Kevin told him as he prepared his own burger. “It’s your sister’s homecoming party!” Mia added with a smile. “We even got cake!” Emily grinned. 

Jayden felt his heart twist in sadness, knowing he was about to ruin his friends happiness. 

When the Rangers noticed that Jayden hadn’t budged, their smiles disappeared. 

“Jayden, what’s wrong?” Kevin asked, seeing his face. 

Lauren approached her brother, slowly shaking her head. “Jayden...please...no.” 

The Rangers exchanged confused glances. 

“What’s going on?” Mike whispered to the others. 

Jayden looked at his older sister, shaking his head. “Don’t make this harder than it should be.” He offered her a wooden box, which she took from his hands. She opened it, revealing the Black Box and all it’s disks. “Jayden…” she breathed, glancing back at her brother. Lauren tried to give it back to him, but Jayden pushed the box back. “This isn’t up for argument,” Jayden replied. “Take it.”

Lauren wrapped her hands around the box as he walked past her, her green eyes watering. 

“Rangers,” Jayden began, his gaze sweeping over his friends. “You need to follow Lauren now. She’s your new Red Ranger and your leader.” 

The Rangers looked at Jayden, shock written all over their faces. “What?” 

“I’m leaving.” 

“What do you mean?” Emily asked, her voice cracking in sadness. “You mean on a trip right?” Mike inquired, looking at the others. “Right?” 

Jayden shook his head. “Permanently.” 

“What?!” the Rangers exclaimed horrified. 

“No!” Serena shouted, clenching her fists.

“Why?!” Emily cried out. 

“Jayden, you can’t just leave!” Mia declared, her eyes filling up with tears. 

“Look at us! No one wants you to go!” Mike yelled, his eyes wide in desperation. 

Jayden felt his own eyes water, his heartbreaking knowing he was creating their grief. He tried to swallow back the lump that was forming in the back of his throat. 

“I know how you feel,” Jayden proclaimed, his voice echoing in sadness. “But Lauren is the true Red Ranger and her power alone is what you need to defeat the Nighlok. She’s able to do what I can’t do, end this fight and bring peace to this city! You need to fight beside her.”

“No!” Antonio declared, slamming his fists into the picnic table. “We need you too!” He turned to Lauren, whose tears were threatening to fall. “Tell him Lauren!” 

The Red Ranger was frozen in shock, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. “Go on! Tell him!” Antonio shouted at her, growing angry that the Red Ranger wasn’t doing anything to stop her younger brother.

Mentor Ji heard the Rangers shouting and headed outside. 

The Green Ranger saw him walking out and yelled, “Mentor! What is this?” Mentor Ji swallowed and glanced away from the Green Ranger. 

“Jayden’s leaving and you’re not doing anything to stop him!” Mike declared.

“Did you know about this?!” Serena asked the older man. 

“How could you not tell us?” Emily whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

Mentor Ji didn’t know how to respond. 

“Come on!” Mike snarled, glaring at their Mentor. “Make him stay!” 

Mentor Ji shook his head. “We can’t stop him. No one can.” Mike scoffed in disgust, turning away from their Mentor. 

Jayden glanced at Mentor Ji and stated, “Ji. You’ve been my guiding light. Thank you for everything.” 

Mentor Ji’s eyes watered at his declaration and could only nod, trying to hold back his own tears. 

The Red Ranger turned to the Rangers and stated, “Mike, Emily, Serena, Mia, Antonio, Maria and Kevin. It’s been an honor to fight by your side.” Jayden began to walk away from the Rangers, but the Gold Ranger grabbed his arm. 

“Jay, please.” 

Jayden glanced at his best friend, seeing the sadness in his brown eyes. The Red Ranger looked away, not being able to bare his saddened glare. “Antonio, please, let me go.” 

“You don’t want to leave,” Antonio began. “I can tell Jay. Please stay.” Jayden pulled away from his grip, biting his lip from letting out a sob. “I’m sorry.” Antonio looked at him like he had been slapped, taking a step back.

Kevin clenched his fists angrily and declared, “I’m going with you!” 

The other Rangers looked at him surprised, seeing the desperation on the Blue Ranger’s face. “No,” Jayden replied, looking at Kevin. “You’re a Samurai Ranger. You swore to protect the Red Ranger at all costs. I’m counting on you to stay and fight by sister’s side. Promise me.” 

Kevin looked away, not liking it one bit, but knew he was right. “I promise.” 

Jayden smiled at him sadly and stated, “I know you’ll make her as proud of you as you’ve made me.” The Red Ranger walked away from them but Maria grabbed his hand. 

The Red Ranger looked at her and Maria looked at him sadly, “No matter where you go, I’ll be your scabbard. I’ll be there when you need me.” 

Jayden gave her a nod, a single tear slipping down his cheek before turning away, exiting the gates of the Shiba House. 

* * *

In the evening, Mentor Ji washed the dishes in sadness. After Jayden’s departure, their party had been spoiled. They had cleaned up and were sitting around the Common Room in silence. 

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Emily murmured, sitting beside the Green Ranger. “He brought us together but he left.” Mike leaned against Emily’s back, letting out a sigh. “Fighting next to him made me feel stronger. It’s never going to be the same without Jayden.” 

The Gold Ranger’s lip curled angrily. “So what are we supposed to do?” Antonio declared, getting to his feet and glared at the Rangers. “Are we supposed to forget he existed?”

“Of course not!” Serena stated in disbelief. 

“We have a duty as a Samurai,” Kevin pointed out, leaning against the wall of the practice room. “We are to protect Lauren as we promised.” 

Antonio scoffed, glancing at the Rangers. “We’ll he’s my best friend. And I’m not bound to the Samurai Code like you are. I didn’t swear to protect the Red Ranger, I swore to protect Jayden!” The Gold Ranger turned to leave but Serena grabbed his arm. “Antonio, don’t!” 

“You don’t even know where he is,” Mia stated. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t care!” Antonio told them. “I’ll find him, even if it takes me all night!” 

“Please listen to your friends,” Lauren began, sitting up from where she sat. “Stay here. It’s too dangerous to go out this late at night.” Antonio glared at Lauren and stated, “How can you be like this? He’s your brother! Don’t you care if something happens to him?!” 

“Of course!” Lauren cried out. 

“Then I’m going to find him, whether you like it or not!” Antonio pointed out, storming out of the room. 

“Antonio!” Maria called out, running after him. 

When the Purple Ranger reached the yard, the Gold Ranger had summoned a War Horse and had rode out into the night. 


	55. The Ultimate Duel Pt. 1

The next morning, the Purple Ranger glanced around, hoping she could find the Gold or Red Rangers. After Antonio headed out and hadn’t come back, she had gotten worried. The other Rangers wanted to go after them but Mentor Ji prohibited from leaving the Shiba House. Maria had offered herself instead to search the area for them.

But she wasn’t having much luck. 

Maria sighed, taking a seat at a bench in the park. She rubbed her face, wondering why she had let Jayden go. Why didn’t she stop him from leaving the house?  _ I’m an idiot _ , she thought, raking a hand through her raven hair.  _ I’m supposed to protect him and I let him leave the Shiba House to who knows where. _

Her Samuraizer suddenly rang and she answered it, hearing Mentor’s distressed voice. “Anything?” he questioned. 

“Nothing,” Maria replied tiredly. “Seems like they both vanished. I can’t find them.” 

“I shouldn’t have let Jayden leave,” Mentor lamented. “That way Antonio wouldn’t have gone after him.” 

“Don’t blame yourself Mentor,” Maria told him. “Jayden right now feels lost, helpless. He’s not the Red Ranger anymore and he doesn’t know what his purpose in life is anymore. I can’t blame him.” 

“I can’t but feel this is my fault,” Mentor Ji answered. Maria could hear the sadness and guilt in his voice. 

“Don’t worry, Ji, we’ll find them,” Maria proclaimed. “I’ll call you later.” She closed her Samuraizer and got to her feet, letting out a sigh.

* * *

Jayden was in the pier, glancing at his reflection in the water. He could see his grief stricken face and his heart breaking, remembering his friends pleas to stay at the Shiba House. He closed his eyes, wishing he could’ve stayed, but knew it was in the best interest for everyone to leave. 

He didn’t want to endanger anyone. 

“Jayden?” came a relieved shout. 

The Red Ranger frozen, hearing the familiar voice and turned around to find Antonio running towards him. “Antonio?” Jayden asked confused as the Gold Ranger approached him. 

“I finally found you! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Antonio told him, a relieved smile on his face. “I’m glad you’re okay!” 

“What are you doing here?” Jayden stated, taking a step back. “Lauren needs you.” 

Antonio shook his head, looking at the Red Ranger. “No Jay, you need me. Look, I’m not bound to the Samurai Code like the others. I don’t need to stay. Besides, I came here to talk some sense into you.” Jayden scoffed, shaking his head and turned back towards the pier, glancing out into the ocean. 

Antonio sighed, feeling hurt that Jayden wasn’t taking his words seriously. He approached Jayden, leaning against the railing and looked across the ocean. “Jayden, if you think I’m mad about your secret, I’m not. To me, it doesn’t make a difference to me that you aren’t the Red Ranger. You will always be my best friend, no matter what.” 

Jayden glanced at his reflection, letting out a sigh. “Thanks.” He looked at Antonio, who was looking at him. “You know Ant, for the first time in my life, I don’t know who I am. I was always the Red Ranger but now that’s gone. I feel….lost.” 

Antonio didn’t know what to tell his best friend. He had never been put in a situation Jayden was in and didn’t know what to say. 

“Hey, how about we eat breakfast or something?” Antonio offered the Red Ranger. “Take your mind off things? My treat?” 

Jayden heard the shift of conversation and knew that even his best friend couldn’t help him in the situation he was in. He felt Antonio gently elbow him. “Things are always better after a meal,” his best friend suggested. “Thanks for the offer, but I want to be alone,” Jayden pointed out, glancing at the Gold Ranger. 

Antonio rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest. “Fine, be alone, but only after I return with some food.” He leaned off the railing and pointed at Jayden. “Stay put! I’ll be right back!”

The Gold Ranger jogged off, making Jayden take the chance to grab his backpack near his feet. “Sorry Ant,” Jayden muttered, throwing the bag over his shoulder. “But you need to go back.” He began to walk away from the pier before Antonio could return. 

When the Gold Ranger came back with bags of food in his hands, the Red Ranger had vanished. “No, no,” Antonio declared, turning around in circles. “Jay! Jayden! Where you go?” 

“Jayden!” 

* * *

The Red Ranger headed towards a forest near the shore, heaving no idea where to head too. He just wanted peace and quiet, time to clear his head alone.  _ To think _ … Jayden thought.  _ And I know where to exactly go _ . 

The sandy haired man trekked deeper into the forest, noticing the familiarity of the mountain side. He was trekking back into his family’s land, acres away from the Shiba House. Jayden could see the mansion where he walked, a tiny dot in the distance. A gentle breeze blew around him as he turned back around, walking deeper into the wilderness. 

At a ledge, he could hear the river flowing downward into a cascade, the same river that crossed near the Shiba House, where Maria liked to hang around. Jayden felt his heartbreak once more but shook his head.

It wasn’t the time for grief. 

The Rangers were safer in Lauren’s hands. 

Jayden continued to walk up the steep incline of the forest, before seeing a small temple in the distance. The Red Ranger glanced at the ground, letting out a breath. He walked towards the temple, where a headstone memorial was placed. Jayden placed his backpack beside him and kneeled down, looking at the headstone memorial. 

“It’s been awhile, since I visited you….”

“Father.”

* * *

Lauren stood in the middle of the practice room, her back towards the LightZord. She took in a deep breath and exhaled before shouting, “Now!”

The LightZord turned on, shooting disks at her, which she easily took out. 

The other Rangers were watching her in awe, seeing how quick and gracious she was while she fought. 

Mentor Ji walked towards them, observing the Rangers sitting in the steps watching Lauren train by herself. “Why aren’t you practicing with her?” he questioned, making the Rangers look at him. They exchanged uneasy glances before getting to their feet. 

“We want to go with Antonio to find Jayden,” Emily declared. 

Mentor Ji sighed and shook his head, glancing at Lauren. “He would want you all to train with his sister to help her seal Master Xandred away.” 

“But what about Jayden?” Mike asked but Mentor Ji shook his head. “The fate of the world rests on you working with Lauren. Let Antonio and Maria find Jayden. You all stay focused on the task on hand.” 

“Got it,” Mike muttered annoyed. Mentor Ji nodded, satisfied and turned around, leaving the Rangers with Lauren. 

“Mentor’s right,” Kevin declared, making the Rangers to look at him. “Our job isn’t over yet. It’s our duty to stay with the Red Ranger.” 

“If that’s the case, maybe she wants a sparring partner,” Mike proclaimed, approaching Lauren. 

“Mike wait,” Emily began, grabbing his arm. “Despite everything, she’s still our leader.” 

“Emily’s right,” Kevin added. “Remember how Jayden hated when you challenged him.” 

Mike shrugged both their hands off and stated, “She’s not Jayden and she’ll never will be.”

Lauren overheard their conversation and side glanced at the Green Ranger, narrowing her eyes. 

Mike approached her and called her out. “Hey, Lauren. Do you want to spar?” Kevin shook his head while Emily glanced at the two older Rangers in worry. 

Lauren looked at the Green Ranger, who pointed at her sword. “I’m pretty good with my sword.” Mike raised an eyebrow while Lauren turned to look at him, smiling. “I’d be honored,” she replied. “I’ve always trained alone.” 

Mike smirked. “Cool.” He grabbed a wooden katana and spun it around his hands, placing his blade in front of him. Lauren bowed to him, wielding her sword to her side, leaving her wide open. Mike grinned, seeing his advantage and shot towards her, attacking her with an overhead slash. 

Lauren easily blocked his attack as both Ranger’s sparred with each other. 

“Please be careful Mike,” Emily muttered, watching them fight. 

Lauren noticed that the Green Ranger’s attacks were too predictable and timed his next attack in time, hitting his hand. Mike dropped his sword and jumped back when Lauren pointed the end of her wooden katana at him. The Red Ranger raised an eyebrow, a grin in her face. 

Mike scoffed, diving to the side and grabbed his katana, swinging his blade towards her. She jumped back, sidestepping and spun around, stopping in short of hitting the back of his head. The Green Ranger clenched his jaw, back flipping and slashed at the Red Ranger once more. Lauren grinned at his attempts and blocked his slash. Mike stepped forward, attacking her and she dodged, spinning around and stopped from hitting his throat. 

The Green Ranger looked at her in surprise and she swept his legs from underneath him, making him fall into the ground. He dropped his sword, groaning as he rubbed his head and looked at her. “Whoa, you’re awesome.” 

The other Rangers laughed, knowing that the Green Ranger bit more than he could chew. 

Lauren smiled, helping the Green Ranger off his feet and placed her wooden katana on her shoulder. “Who’s next?” 

The Blue Ranger’s smile disappeared from his face when the two women glanced at him. “What? Me?” 

* * *

“Your plan seems to have worked,” Jayden stated, looking at the headstone. “Lauren has taken the mantle of the Red Ranger and now has loyal teammates that she can rely on.” The Red Ranger closed his eyes, tears brimming his eyes. “But now, I don’t know what to do.” A silence overcame the Red Ranger and he clenched his fists. “Did you ever think about me when you created this plan? How I would feel when this was over?!” 

“That I wasn’t going to feel the pain of something good in my life being ripped away!” Jayden reclaimed. “I’m lost! I don’t know what to do! All my life! All these 22 years of my life! They’ve all been a lie! A secret! A life in the shadows!” 

“Exactly like me.”

Jayden tensed, feeling a familiar presence near him and spun around to find Dekker, standing behind him. The Half-Nighlok sneered at him and declared, “Seems that you’re free from the burden to save the world.” He circled the Red Ranger, smirking. “I knew we had something in common the moment I met you. We were both hiding a secret. We are both twisted.” 

Jayden clenched his jaw and snarled, “We have nothing in common!”

The wind blew around the two warriors, making Dekker let out a chuckle. “Maybe you didn’t think so, but I can see it in your eyes. The same need to fight, the need to prove yourself worthy!” He grinned at Jayden and stated, “I was right to choose you as my ultimate opponent. We are both tormented by fates we didn’t choose!” 

The Half-Nighlok unsheathed Uramasa from his scabbard and pointed the blade at Jayden. The ex Red Ranger saw his challenge and didn’t back away. He got to his feet, summoning his SpinSword and wielded it in front of him. 

“Perhaps, this is my destiny,” Jayden pointed out. “Getting rid of you, once and for all.” 

Dekker grunted as both warriors circled each other and shot forward. 

Both clashed their swords together, glaring at each other in the eyes. “A duel to the end!” Dekker cried out. 

“Your end!” Jayden spat at him, pushing of Uramasa.

* * *

“Start charging now!” Octoroo yelled at the Nighlok in front of him. The Nighlok stretched his arms to the side, a purple glow surrounding him. Octoroo’s tentacles where around his body and exclaimed, “This powering-up session of yours feels great!” 

“Once I charge you up, you’ll be stronger than before,” Octoroo proclaimed. “With your new powers, you’ll make those humans suffer!”

Dayu watched them from the corner of the ship, petting a Furry wart. “Master Xandred can’t fully recover without their misery.” 

“No worries, Dayu,” the Nighlok answered, glancing at her. “I’m feeling stronger already!” 

“This may be our last chance in reviving the boss,” Octoroo stated. “We need him back, before the Red Ranger seals us back and we’re stuck here forever.” He suddenly groaned, landing on his knees, breathing heavily. 

Dayu leaned off the wall and walked towards Octoroo. “You look drained. Perhaps you should sto-” 

“I’d rather give him half my life force than risk the chance of being stuck here forever,” Octoroo interrupted, glancing at Dayu. The female Nighlok’s eyes went wide. “You did what? You gave him half your life force?!” Octoroo shakingly got to his feet and panted, “We have no choice.” 

Dayu squeezed the Furry Wart in her hands, clenching her jaw. 

Octoroo removed his tentacles from the Nighlok’s body as the latter crackled. He clenched his fists, feeling the new power surging through his body. “Gigertox,” Octoroo ordered. “Go! Create some misery!” 

Gigertox looked at Octoroo, grinning evilly. 

“It will be a pleasure.” 

* * *

Antonio was running through the forest, determined to find his best friend. “Jayden! Jayden!” He stopped in his tracks, surveying the area around him. 

The Gold Ranger's eyes fell on a backpack that was laid on the ground. He rushed towards it and kneeled down, picking up the bag, noticing blood doting the ground. “This is Jayden’s stuff,” Antonio murmured, putting them back on the ground. He heard swords clashing in the distance, catching his attention. 

Antonio slowly got to his feet, trying to pinpoint the sound. He observed a bridge a few meters away and his eyes went wide, finding Jayden fighting with Dekker. “Jayden, no! Why?!” Antonio breathed, running towards them.

“Uramasa has thirsted for this moment ever since you broke her in two!” Dekker declared, swinging his blade at the Red Ranger, who blocked it with his forearm. Jayden pushed the blade off, slashing at Dekker who blocked his attack easily. “My blade won’t easily break this time! And I will finally be free of this curse!” 

Dekker slammed the hilt of his sword into Jayden’s face, knocking him back. Jayden raised his feet up, kicking the Half-nighlok back and flipped backwards, ready to shoot back towards him.

* * *

The Rangers were setting up the table to eat lunch when Lauren came in with a worried look. “Are you okay?” Emily asked as the Red Ranger sat next to her. “Yeah,” Lauren stated, giving the Yellow Ranger a forced smile. 

“Are you sure?” Mia repeated, placing a plate in front of Lauren. “You look pale. I can ask Mentor Ji to check over you.” 

“No it’s fine,” Lauren waved it off. “I’m just worried about Jayden, that’s all.” 

The two female Rangers exchanged glances but didn’t pry the Red Ranger for answers. “I made spaghetti today,” Mia stated, changing the conversation. 

“That sounds delicious,” Lauren told her. “I’ve never had spaghetti before.” 

Emily took her hand, making the Red Ranger look at her. “We need to take you out more. I know some good places to eat.” Lauren smiled at her and stated, “That’ll be nice.” 

* * *

Dekker slashed at the Red Ranger, who was panting heavily. “Are we tired already?” Dekker taunted. “I was just getting started!” He shot towards Jayden, throwing him towards the ground once more. 

Antonio hid behind a tree, watching the two warriors fight. He could see that Jayden was struggling to fight back. “Dammit Jayden! Why are you doing this?” He watched as Dekker slashed Jayden’s stomach while the latter kicked the Half-Nighlok away, sending him flying towards the ground. 

Jayden clutched his stomach, planting his blade into the dirt. Dekker grabbed a tree to get to his feet, wielding his sword in front of him. “It’s over!” 

“NO!” Antonio shouted, running in front of Jayden. 

Both warriors were surprised to find him there, with Dekker scoffing in disgust. 

“Antonio? What the hell are you doing here?” Jayden cried out, his eyes wide in shock. 

“I came here to find you!” Antonio told him, glaring at him. “What are  _ you _ doing fighting Dekker?!” 

“Leave!” Jayden ordered him. 

“NO!” Antonio shouted back. “I’m not leaving you to fight him!” 

The Gold Ranger clenched his fists and pointed out, “Why are you doing this? What’s the purpose of this fight?! Are you picking fights, now that you're not the Red Ranger? Are you fighting just for the sake of it?!”

Dekker curled his lip upwards and declared, “Don’t waste your breath,  _ traitor _ . Get out of the way.” 

The Gold Ranger ignored the Half-nighlok and grabbed Jayden’s shoulders. “Stop this senseless fight! Your sister and the others want you back home!” 

“Your words will stop nothing!” Dekker spat at him. “He’s destined to break my curse!” 

Antonio clenched his jaw, looking at Jayden’s eyes. “Don’t listen to what Dekker says. If you think this is what your life is now, fighting for no reason, then you're not the person I used to know! You’re destined to choose your own path now!” 

Jayden glanced away, not knowing how to respond. 

“Dammit,” Antonio stated under his breath, releasing Jayden. He summoned his Barracuda Blade and faced the Half-Nighlok. “Now, leave him alone, Dekker. This fight, is over!” 

Dekker growled, placing his blade in front of him. “NO! I’ve waited centuries for this moment! And not even you can get in the way!” 

Antonio got into a fighting stance, unsheathing his blade. “Try me!” 

“Why would I waste my time in fighting against a Ranger whose blade is tainted with his teammates blood?!” Dekker declared, making Antonio’s eyes go wide. “Don’t give me that look. I know what you did,” Dekker continued. “I saw how easily you struck down the Yellow Ranger! You and I are the same! Cold blooded killers!”

Antonio clenched his jaw, shouting, “I’m nothing like you!” 

“But you are!” Dekker snarled, shooting forward towards the Gold Ranger. Antonio took out his Samuraizer, about to morph when Jayden pulled him back. “Don’t!” That caused the Gold Ranger to drop his Samuraizer, Dekker’s blade slashing through his shoulder. 

Jayden’s eyes went wide in horror, seeing blood spurting from his best friend’s shoulder. Antonio gasped out, grabbing his bleeding shoulder while Jayden grabbed him, spinning him around. 

Uramasa and his SpinSwordord clashed, the energy pulse sending both parties flying in different directions. 

The Red Ranger lost his footing and fell backwards with the Gold Ranger beside him. 

“NO!” Jayden yelled as both Rangers plunged down the cliff. 


	56. The Ultimate Duel Pt. 2

In Panorama City, people screamed near the city’s hospital as a Nighlok appeared, shooting tentacles at them. He tied several people up, cackling in glee. “Hope you hang in there!” 

The citizens shrieked in panic, running in different directions. 

Serena was walking out the store when she saw the citizens scream in terror, almost knocking her off her feet. “What the…” The White Ranger’s eyes went wide seeing the Nighlok tying people up. “Hey! Let them go you stinkin’ Nighlok!” 

Gigertox overheard the White Ranger and glanced at her, insulted. “Stinkin’?! What you smell is new unbeatable power!” 

“Oh really?” Serena smirked, dropping her grocery bags. She took out her Samuraizer and shouted, “Go, go Samurai!” There was a bright light as she morphed into the White Ranger and summoned her SpinSword, shooting forward. 

Gigertox smirked, blocking the White Ranger’s attack. “Nice try Ranger!” Serena snickered, spinning around, her blade slicing through the Nighlok’s armor. Gigertox staggered back, surprised. “Nice try, Nighlok,” Serena mocked. “But I’m full of surprises. I’m not an easy opponent.” 

“So am I,” Gigertox replied, covering his mouth. “Take a whiff of this!” He blew smoke towards the White Ranger, making her cough as the poison made her suit spark. Serena staggered back as Gigertox opened his hand, shooting needlers at her. 

The White Ranger struggled to block the attacks, some managing to hit her and exploded, sending her flying backwards. Serena rolled to her feet, panting for breath. “Wow, he’s strong. Too strong.” 

Gigertox approached her and noticed that Serena was all by herself. “One puny Ranger all by herself? Too easy!” The White Ranger wielded her sword in front of her as the Nighlok raised his hand towards her. “Let’s see how this grabs ya!” Tentacles shot from his hand towards Serena, tying around her. “Do you need a lift?!” 

Gigertox laughed, lifting Serena off the ground and slammed her towards the building. Serena screamed in pain the concrete cracking around her. “Already screaming?” Gigertox laughed, slamming her once more into the building, showing no mercy. The White Ranger powered down, her limp form leaning against the tentacles around her. Gigertox tossed her to the ground, making her groan in pain. 

“Serena!” Emily shouted, running towards her sister. The rest of the Rangers followed her while Lauren walked towards the Nighlok. “Back off, Nighlok!” The Red Ranger took out her Samuraizer, the others following suit. “Go, Go, Samurai!” 

The Rangers morphed into the Samurai Rangers, summoning their SpinSwords.

Gigertox laughed, pumping his fist in the air. “Great! Color coded target practice! My favorite!” 

Lauren let out a battle cry, shooting forward with the others running behind her.

* * *

Jayden gasped out, dragging himself to shore, coughing. He laid in the shore, half of his body submerged in the water. The Red Ranger grunted, grabbing his ribs and flipped over, breathing heavily. Despite most of his Ranger suit taking the hit, his clothes had gotten shredded and was now covered in cuts. 

The Red Ranger closed his eyes before opening them, noticing that Antonio wasn’t beside him. “No,” he breathed, quickly sitting up. He looked around the area, hearing the river rush downstream. “Antonio!” Jayden got to his feet, coughing. 

“Antonio!”

* * *

Lauren slashed at Gigertox, her blade hitting his shoulder. The Nighlok scoffed at her attempt to harm him and slammed a palm heel strike into her chest, sending her flying towards a flight of stairs. 

“Lauren!” Mia yelled out, rushing towards the Red Ranger. 

The others got in front of the two women as the Red Ranger struggled to stand. “I’m fine,” Lauren grunted, getting to her feet. 

“You call yourself the Red Ranger, but you’re weak!” Gigertox yelled out, raising his hand. Tentacles shot out towards the Rangers, who were knocked off their feet. Lauren clenched her jaw angrily, taking out the Black box, attaching it to her SpinSword. “Super Samurai Mode!” A white light bathed the Red Ranger, a white vest appearing on her Red Ranger suit. Lauren felt a rush of power go through her veins, the powers of all her teammates running through her. 

Gigertox’s eyes glowed, laughing. “You don’t scare me, Red!” He raised his hand, shooting his tentacles at the Red Ranger, who raised her SpinSword, cutting them off with ease. The Nighlok roared in pain, staggering back. 

“Rangers! Now that he’s weak!” Kevin ordered the rest of the Rangers, who attached their disks into their SpinSwords, powering them up. “Spin Sword! Quadruple Slash!” 

Their attacks spun around each other, hitting the Nighlok, sending him towards the ground. Gigertox skidded the ground, groaning before slowly getting to his feet. He turned towards the Rangers, only to find Lauren with the Bullzooka in her hands. “This isn’t good!” 

“Super Bullzooka!” Lauren coldly stated, aiming at the Nighlok. “Bullzooka Blast!” The fiery form of the Bullzooka flew towards Gigertox, slamming into him, ending his first life. 

The Rangers watched as Gigertox grew mega sized, towering over the city. “It ain’t over yet!” the Nighlok roared. “Shall we form the Battle Wing Megazord?” Mike suggested, taking out his Samuraizer. Lauren smiled, nodding. “Let’s do this!” 

She attached a disk into the Black Box, closing it. “Super Samurai Combination Disk! Air Strike Combination!” 

The Rangers disappeared in a flash of colors as the MegaZord was summoned.

“Battle Wing Megazord! Armed for battle!”

* * *

Octoroo was walking towards the ship’s deck, when he felt a sudden pain pulse through his body. He gasped, collapsing to his knees while Dayu quickly approached him. “Are you okay?” The female Nighlok, kneeled down, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Damn that Gigertox!” Octoroo spat. “He’s sucking away almost all my life force! Giving him a third life really drained me.” Dayu shook her head, getting to her feet and caressed the Fury Wart in her hands. “You’re a fool. You should have known that was a bad idea.” 

“Bad idea! Bad idea! Bad idea!” the Furry Wart echoed.

* * *

Gigertox roared, his serpent like body striking the MegaZord down. The giant mecha collapsed into the ground, making the Rangers cry out in surprise. 

“This sucks!” Mike complained, glancing at the other Rangers. “What do we do?” Emily asked, glancing at Lauren and Kevin. 

The Blue Ranger was thoughtful before looking at the Red Ranger. “There’s only one combination that could take this guy down. Are you up for it?”

Lauren nodded in response, taking out a disk. “Ultimate Samurai Combination!” She attached the disk into the Black Box as a bright light covered the MegaZord. “Samurai GingaZord! We are united!” 

Gigertox snarled, striking the MegaZord like a snake, driving the Rangers backwards. “Hold on!” Lauren told the Rangers. The MegaZord abruptly stopped and the Red Ranger ordered the others saying, “I need everyone’s Symbol Power! Now!” 

The Rangers quickly wrote their Zord’s Symbol Power as they appeared around the Megazord in a circle. “Symbol Power! Megastrike!” A bolt of light shot from the MegaZord into the Nighlok, making him roar in agony as it disintegrated him. 

“Samurai Rangers! Victory is ours!”

* * *

Maria rode her Wolf Zord, in hopes that the Zord would pick up the scent of Antonio or Jayden. The Zord was leading her towards an abandoned temple, deep in the forest. She stopped her Wolf Zord, hoping off it, noticing the headstone on the ground. 

She approached it and her eyes went wide. 

It was the Red Rangers father.

Maria sighed, gently touching the headstone, noticing Jayden’s backpack beside it.  _ He was here _ , Maria thought, glancing around the area. She walked around, hoping for some clue when her eyes caught sight of something glinting off the ground. 

Antonio’s Samuraizer. 

The Purple Ranger took it from the ground, worry pricking her mind. She noticed blood doting the ground and she clenched her jaw. She kneeled down, touching it, seeing it was fresh.  _ I just missed something _ . She got to her feet and approached the cliffside, where a trail of broken branches led down towards the rushing river below. 

Maria turned to her Wolf Zord, who awaited her command. “We’ll have to go down the cliff.” The Wolf Zord barked, lowering herself into the ground so the Purple Ranger could climb aboard. Maria climbed on her back as the Wolf Zord, jumped down into the cliff below.

* * *

The Gold Ranger waded towards the shore, grabbing his shoulder painfully. “Jayden,” he croaked. “Jayden!” His clothes were shredded from the fall and he was badly injured. Antonio took a few more steps before collapsing into the shore, breathing heavily. The Gold Ranger closed his eyes before hearing a twinkle.

His eyes snapped open, seeing two pair of feet in front of him. They were barefooted, wearing golden anklets. The Gold Ranger slowly glanced up, noticing that the rest of their body was dressed with a black cloak. He could see raven hair framing their face, with slight rosy tinted lips. Her face was familiar, but she had two pair of glowing purple eyes.

“Maria?” he questioned. 

The woman didn't answer, instead, took out a SpinSword and pointed it at Antonio's face. 

Antonio’s eyes widened, seeing the blade before him.

“Antonio Garcia, Gold Samurai Ranger. You have caused problems to the timeline with your survival. The timeline aches for your death,” the woman continued, her purple eyes growing dull. “You have cheated death and now, you’ll perish by my hand. With your death, the timeline will shift back to where it originally was and everything will be set back in motion.”

Antonio narrowed his eyes and stated, “Timeline? You’re…” 

“I am the Purple Samurai of the Present,” the woman declared. “Lilith Abukara.”

* * *

Lauren and the other Rangers were walking home, when the Red Ranger froze. 

“Lauren?” Mia questioned, seeing Lauren’s face go pale. 

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked. 

“I don’t know,” Lauren replied, looking at her teammates, who were looking at her worriedly. “It’s like something is pulling my Symbol Power away from me.” 

“That’s strange,” Emily pointed out, glancing at Kevin, who was thoughtful. 

“You and Jayden use the same Symbol Power, right?” Kevin noted, making Lauren nod. “What if Jayden is using it and you’re feeling it as a side effect?” 

“If that’s true, then why is my brother using his Symbol Power?” Lauren asked. 

“Dekker,” Emily whispered, covering her mouth in horror. “He must have found him.” 

“Dammit!” Mike stated, clenching his fists. “I knew he shouldn’t have left!”

“He’s an easy target for the Half-Nighlok now, that he doesn’t carry the Red Ranger mantel,” Serena nodded, as she leaned against Emily. 

“Who’s Dekker?” Lauren asked worriedly, noticing the look of concern of the other Rangers. “He’s a Half-nighlok that’s obsessed with your brother. He is trying to duel him because he thinks Jayden’s the greatest warrior on Earth,” Mia told her. 

“We need to find him!” Mike ordered, looking at the Rangers. 

“If Jayden is using his Symbol Power, we can track him down at the Shiba House,” Kevin pointed out. 

“Let’s go then,” Mia nodded.

* * *

Jayden was walking downstream, hoping to find Antonio, when he found Dekker on top of a horse. “Dekker!” he growled, summoning his SpinSword. 

The Half-Nighlok narrowed his eyes at the Red Ranger and declared, “About time. I was growing desperate.” 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Jayden replied, taking out his Samuraizer. He transformed into the Red Ranger, summoning a horse and climbed aboard. He pointed his sword at Dekker and shouted, “Let’s finish our duel! To the death!” 

Jayden shot forward, raising his sword in the air.

* * *

Antonio narrowed his eyes, sitting up and declared, “You do know what’s going to happen once I die.” 

“Absolutely,” the Purple Samurai replied. “You’re the key to either the destruction or the salvation of this timeline.” 

“Then why do you want to kill me?” Antonio asked, clenching his hand around the mud on the ground. “If I die, this timeline will spiral down to the one thing Maria is trying to avoid!” 

“I don’t give a damn what that Future Purple Ranger wants,” Lilith Abukara responded, glaring at the Gold Ranger. 

“You should!” Antonio spat at her. “The world will end! The Nighloks would take over the world!”

“I know,” Lilith replied, pressing her blade against his cheek. “I’ve seen hell itself before.”    
  
“Then why turn this very world the same one Maria tried to escape from?” Antonio replied, glaring at her. 

“I have nothing else to respond to you,” Lilith answered, removing her blade from the Gold Ranger’s cheek. “Don’t take it personally Gold Ranger, I’ll make this death more quicker than the last three you’ve been through.” 

Antonio’s eyes opened wide.  _ Than the last three I’ve been through??? _

The Gold Ranger saw her vanish from sight and he brought up his guard. He heard a twinkle and quickly spun around, only to find the Wolf Zord knocking the woman off her feet. The Purple Ranger skidded the river, slamming against the shore with a splash. Her sword landed on point down in the middle of the river. 

The Wolf Zord slid on the water, turning towards the Purple Ranger growling.

Maria dashed towards the Gold Ranger, enveloping him into a hug. “Are you okay?” she asked in concern. Antonio quickly nodded, hugging her tightly. “Thank you!” Maria noticed his wounded shoulder and the multiple scratches in his body. “You’re injured.” 

“I’m fine,” Antonio told her. “We need to-” 

The Purple Ranger appeared mid air, touching the hilt of her sword as she seemed to float mid air. “SpinSword! Lightning Current!” 

Maria’s eyes widened in horror as a current of lightning crackled towards them. She grabbed Antonio’s arm and disappeared from the electrified current of water, reappearing at the muddy shore. “That was too close,” Antonio commented, glancing at Maria. The Purple Ranger clenched her jaw angrily at the other, who stood on top of the hilt of her SpinSword. 

“I believe that’s the Purple Ranger Lauren warned me about,” Maria stated, summoning her SpinSword. “Her name is Lilith Abukara,” Antonio told her. “She said she’s the present Ranger.” Maria scoffed, wielding her sword in front of her. 

Lilith smiled at the Purple Ranger and pointed out, “My, my, how you’ve grown.” Maria’s frown disappeared and a confused gaze replaced it. “You make it sound like you’ve known me before.” Lilith grinned, jumping down from her SpinSword, landing on the river with a splash. “I’ve seen everything, Maria Abukara. From your birth all the way to the hell you’ve lived through. You’re quite an interesting person.” 

“Interesting and persistent.” 

Lilith glanced at the Gold Ranger behind Maria and pointed at the Gold Ranger with her blade. “Now, if you excuse me, I have a job to finish.” She took a step forward but Maria blocked her way. “I believe that’s where you’re wrong,” Maria proclaimed. “You’re not going to kill him.” 

Lilith narrowed her eyes at the Purple Ranger. “When will you learn that the timeline will suffer greater consequences if you keep avoiding his death.”

“I’m preventing the destruction of the world,” Maria told her.

“You’re making it worse,” Lilith responded. “Now, move.”

When the other Purple Ranger refused to move, Lilith scoffed, a grin spreading across her face. “You don’t know a thing girl. These Rangers don’t need us. We are chaos and destruction, they’re peace and creation.” 

“We are not just chaos and destruction,” Maria pointed out. “We are also a key to their salvation. If we join together to help them, we will destroy these Nighloks and get rid of this evil, together!” 

* * *

The Rangers had arrived at the Shiba House quickly rushing towards the map on the coffee table. 

“Alright, our Samuraizers lit up the map here whenever we are active,” Kevin explained to Lauren, who nodded. “If Jayden is using his Symbol Power, we can probably find him anywhere he’s located.” The Blue Ranger opened the map before them, seeing a faint Red kanji floating a few acres away from their location. 

“There he is,” Kevin proclaimed, pointing at the map. “We need to get to him now,” Mike stated, glancing at the Rangers. “Right,” the Rangers nodded. 

Kevin turned to the Rangers, who waited for instructions. “Mia, Mike, Em, go find Jayden. I’ll stay with Lauren to protect the city.” 

“Right,” Mia nodded in agreement, getting to her feet. 

“Let’s go,” Mike stated, running out the Shiba House.

* * *

Jayden and Dekker rode their horses through the forest, slashing at each other while doing so. They separated, riding their horses in opposite directions before facing each other once more. “You will fall to my sword once more Dekker!” 

Dekker only smirked in response, wielding his sword beside him. “We’ll see about that!” He transformed into his Half-Nighlok form and shot forward, his horse riding towards the Red Samurai Ranger. “It’s time to finish this!”

Jayden clenched his jaw angrily and pressed his legs against his horse, who rode forward. Both warriors extended their swords, clashing their blades together. 


	57. The Fallen Warrior

Kevin was pacing in the Shiba House, deep in thought. He couldn’t believe everything that was happening in the last two days. Lauren had appeared proclaiming herself as the true Red Ranger and Jayden had left the house. 

The Blue Ranger sighed, raking a hand through his hair. 

Lauren was watching him in silence, noticing how worried he was. She wondered what was going through his mind. The Red Ranger was broken from her thoughts when Kevin’s voice called her. “Lauren, I didn’t see you there,” Kevin commented. 

“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” Lauren responded. She noticed the tired look Kevin wore and knew she was worried about his friend and Jayden. “Kevin,” Lauren began, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “I know you want to stay here and keep me safe, but from the looks of it, the others need you more.” 

Kevin looked at her incredulously and shook his head in disagreement. “Lauren, I can’t leave you unprotected,” Kevin replied. “I can’t leave this city unprotected.” The Red Ranger smiled at him and stated, “Thanks for caring.”

Kevin smiled. “No problem. We’re all friends here and we all have to take care of each other.” 

Lauren turned around and stated, “How about we train? Take our minds off things?” 

“That’ll be good,” Kevin nodded, following the Red Ranger.

* * *

The Red Ranger and Half-Nighlok rode their horses through the forest, their swords clashing in a fearsome battle. “I won’t rest until we finish our duel!” Dekker snarled, as both warriors rode in opposite sides of each other. 

“Then let’s end this,” Jayden snarled, clenching his jaw angrily. Both warriors shot towards each other, their swords illuminating against the sunset.

Dekker jumped in the air, his sword glowing dark purple while Jayden followed suit, his blade glowing a fiery red. Both yelled in a battle cry, their swords clashing, their energy sending ripples of power around them.

* * *

In the Netherworld, Dayu casted her glance out of Xandred’s ship when she felt the ripple of energy. She immediately straightened up, looking at the Sanzu River. “Did you feel that?” she asked Octoroo, who was mixing some potions. 

“I bet you’re sensing the power returning to Master Xandred,” Octoroo responded, flipping the page around as he poured some liquid into a smaller container. Dayu glanced at the noodle faced Nighlok and shook her head. “No, this feels...different. It feels unsettling.” 

That caught Octoroo’s attention and turned around to look at Dayu, who was looking out the ship's window. “What do you mean?” 

The pulse of energy was felt again, this time Dayu noticed the familiar energy. “Dekker!” she gasped out, her eyes wide.

* * *

“You’re an idiot if you think I’ll join you and these,  _ Rangers _ ,” Lilith spat. "If you knew what these Rangers did to the past Purple Rangers, you wouldn't be on their side." 

“I don’t care what happened in the past,” Maria declared. “I care about the present and the future of this world, and so should you. Not about personal vendettas.” 

Lilith shook her head, chuckling lowly. “I’ve made up my mind. I was mistaken in trying to kill Antonio.” 

Maria relaxed, lowering her SpinSword.

Lilith's purple eyes glanced at Maria. “For I, should’ve been chasing you, Maria Abukara. Once I get rid of you, I’ll reset the timeline to how it was before you butted in.” Lightning sparked from her body and she raised her SpinSword, spinning the disk attached to her sword. "Lightning Disk! Lightning Slash!" 

Maria jumped back, dodging the rapid lightning slashes. She threw her SpinSword in the air, converting her sword into her Lightning Kamas. “Lightning Kamas: Lightning Dance!” Maria swung her kamas around, slicing down the threads of lightning slashes. 

'I'm going to rip you to shreds," Lilith proclaimed.  “You can be nothing but a forgotten memory!” 

Maria jumped in the air, lightning crackling around her. She vanished, reappearing beside Lilith, her kama in hand. “Lightning Kamas! Lightning Blast!” She swung to slash at Lilith’s exposed body, who side glanced at her. 

Maria’s blade sliced the air where Lilith had once stood, leaving the Purple Ranger confused.  _ What? How did she move so fast? _

“Do you really think that attack would affect me?” Lilith’s voice echoed around her. “I know your moves, your weaknesses, I’ve seen every waking moment of your life! All these moves you have been taught, I’ve mastered them a thousand times!” 

Maria heard the crackling of lightning and turned around to find Lilith’s sword swirling with purple energy. “Lightning Slash!” The slash of purple headed towards Maria and she blocked it in time, splitting it in half. 

* * *

Jayden spun around, slashing at the air where Dekker’s feet were a few seconds ago. Dekker spun around swinging his sword at Jayden’s neck, but the Red Ranger raised his sword in time. 

Dekker began to laugh like a maniac as they locked swords. “Yes! You’re feeling it now, aren’t you? The way of the sword is the way to live!” 

Jayden pushed off the Half-nighlok and swung his sword in front of him. “You’re wrong!” Jayden snapped, his green eyes blazing fire. “The only good that comes from fighting, is the defeat of evil! Evil like you!” 

The Red Ranger shot forward towards Dekker, slashing at him in fury. His blade sliced Dekker across his chest, causing sparks to fly off the Half-nighlok. Dekker staggered back, returning the attack back, Uramasa slashing Jayden’s chest. 

Both warriors shot forward once more, their blades landing on each other’s chest. They slashed at each other and staggered forward. The two men panted heavily, growing weary but determined not to lose. 

“Last time we fought, you broke Uramasa in two,” Dekker pointed out. The Half-nighlok slashed Jayden in the chest, making him stagger back and raised Uramasa in the air. Jayden blocked the overhead attack and glared at the warrior in front of him. 

“But this time, the one who will break, will be my curse and you!” Dekker pressed his blade towards the Red Ranger, making him to fall in one knee. Jayden grunted trying to match Dekker’s strength, but it was overwhelming him, the blade slicing his shoulder open. 

Jayden cried out in agony as Dekker smirked at him. “You will fall to my sword Jayden! Uramasa and I will be free at last!” The Half-Nighlok pushed against the Red Ranger, throwing him back and landed another blow across his chest. 

Jayden rolled on the ground, coming to a stop, groaning. He felt blood flooding his mouth and clenched his hands around the grass on the ground. He slowly got to his knees, planting his SpinSword into the ground. “No! I won’t fall against you Dekker! You will fall and you’ll suffer after what you did to my best friend!” 

Dekker let out a battle cry and swung his sword at the fallen Red Ranger, who raised his sword in time to block the attack. He diverted the blade towards his feet and slid his blade against Uramasa’s, landing an attack on Dekker’s stomach. 

The Half-Nighlok gasped out, staggering forward, his eyes flaring in anger. He turned towards the Red Ranger and shot forward with an overhead attack. Jayden blocked the attack, hitting Dekker’s wrist, making him let go of Uramasa. The impact sent the blade flying into the air while Jayden spun around, raising his SpinSword in the air. 

“It ends now!” 

The Red Ranger’s blade glowed in fiery flames, slashing Dekker from his shoulder all the way to his waist. Sparks flew off the Half-Nighlok, making him gasp in shock. Electricity crackled around him and he fell to his knees. Uramasa landed point down into the ground, just as Dekker collapsed, exploding. 

* * *

The two Purple Rangers faced each other, ready to attack, when they heard an explosion in the distance. Maria turned towards the top of the cliff and Lilith's grin grew instantaneously bigger. “It seems that the duel has come to an end,” Lilith declared. She turned to Maria, who glanced at her angrily. 

“You’ll soon come to me for answers, Maria Abukara. Don’t think our paths won’t cross again. When they do, only one of us will stand.” 

Lilith sheathed her sword, taking a few steps back from Maria. She jumped backwards, vanishing into thin air. 

Maria made her SpinSword disappear from the air and turned to Antonio, who was on his feet. Both glanced at each other before hugging each other tightly. “Are you okay?” he whispered to her.

“I will be,” Maria whispered back. She looked at his bleeding shoulder and at the smoke in the distance. “Let’s heal you on the way and hopefully we’ll find Jayden.” 

Antonio gave a nod as the Wolf Zord bent down for them to ride her.

* * *

Mia, Mike and Emily ran through the forest, hoping to find Jayden. 

“Come one!” Mike urged the two woman behind him. “We have to get to Jayden before it’s too late!” 

Suddenly in the distance, there was a fiery explosion, making the three Rangers skid the ground. “Jayden!” Emily screamed out, while Mia covered her mouth in horror. “Come on!” Mike told them, running down the dirt path.

* * *

The Blue and White Ranger’s were in the kitchen, drinking some herbal tea, hoping it would calm their nerves down. 

“They’ll be fine,” Serena told Kevin, who was gnawing his lips in worry. Kevin gave her a smile, hoping the words she had spoken were true. His smile vanished, seeing Lauren looking at them in concern. “Lauren? Is something wrong?” 

Serena glanced at her as well, frowning. 

Lauren nervously looked at them and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I need you to go with the others.” 

Kevin looked at her confused. “What?”

When Lauren kept looking at him, the Blue Ranger shook his head. “No. I can’t. I need to protect you and the city, while you perfect the Sealing Power.” 

Lauren smiled at him and stated, “Your dedication is admirable Kevin, but it’s fine. I can take care of myself.” Her smile disappeared and she glanced at the ground, her green eyes dulling. “I’m worried about Jayden. You need to go with the others to find him. Please.” 

The Red Ranger looked at him with pleading eyes. “I’ll stay here in case there’s a Nighlok attack. Serena can help me.” 

Kevin didn’t look convinced and the Red Ranger took his hands. “Please,” she begged. “He needs you more than I do.” The Blue Ranger saw her desperate green eyes, her concern over Jayden. “All right,” he replied, nodding. “I’ll go.” 

Kevin looked at Serena, nodding and left the kitchen.

* * *

Jayden groaned, slowly opening his eyes to find himself surrounded in a fiery blaze. He rolled over, finding Dekker laid on the ground with Uramasa wedged in front of his feet. The Red Ranger, panted in relief and struggled to sit up. He grabbed his SpinSword and stabbed it on the ground, using it as support as he sat up. 

“It’s finally over.”

The Red Ranger didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, or both. He felt relief enter his body before it dissipated, hearing a laugh.    


“Don’t think I’ll fall so easily.” 

Jayden’s smile disappeared from his face as Dekker rolled over, reaching for Uramasa. 

“It’s not over yet!” 

The Red Ranger shook his head in disbelief and anger filled his body. “That’s-That’s impossible!” 

Dekker sat up, his brown eyes crazed and wild, laughing at the Red Ranger’s misfortune. “This cursed body won’t stop until there’s a victor!” The Half-Nighlok warrior laughed, grabbing Uramasa as support and got to his feet. 

Jayden watched horrified as the Half-Nighlok was standing over him, a sinister smile spread across his face. 

“There he is!” shouted a voice. The Red Ranger recognized it as Mike and terror fueled his body. 

“Jayden!” 

Jayden turned to his left, finding Mia, Mike and Emily running towards him, relief filling their faces. The Red Ranger clenched his teeth and yelled, “What the hell are you doing here?!” 

“Trying to bring you back home!” Mike shouted at him. 

“You fought enough Jayden!” Emily added, tears filling up her brown eyes. “You have to stop!” 

“Stop meddling!” Dekker snarled at them. 

“Stop!” Jayden yelled, glancing at Dekker. “We’ll finish this, but leave them out of it!” Dekker narrowed his eyes and stated, “Fine.” 

“NO! Stop!” Mia began, her eyes growing wide in shock. 

“Don’t listen to them,” Dekker stated, glaring at the Red Ranger. “They don’t know what they’re talking about! This is all I ever needed to do!” Dekker grabbed Uramasa and ordered, “Raise your sword! It’s time I found peace in  _ your _ defeat!” 

The Half-Nighlok tried to tear Uramasa from the ground, but she refused to move. Jayden watched as Dekker grew frustrated, growling in anger as the sword remained stuck on the dirt. “Face it Dekker,” Jayden replied. “It’s over. We’re too tired and you can’t even lift up your sword!” 

Dekker clenched his fist and was about to strike Jayden when a hand caught his punch. The Half-Nighlok gasped out, finding that Dayu had caught his blow, a saddened look spread across her face. “Dekker, stop. Don’t do this.” 

A golden glow covered the female Nighlok, changing into the human she once was. Dekker’s eyes went wide and whispered, “It’s you.” 

“I don’t want to lose you again,” Dayu whispered, tears falling from her dark eyes. “Please, stop fighting Dekker.” 

Dekker shook his head and stated, “Release me. Let me be free of this curse!” 

The Red Ranger meanwhile, was watching Dekker confused as he talked to himself. “Who is he talking to?” he murmured. 

Dekker glared at the woman who tightened her grip on his fist. “Dayu! Release me!” The woman closed her eyes, tears cascading down her face. “If that’s what you wish my love,” Dayu replied, releasing his hand. “But remember, you will always be the love of my life.” Dekker glared at her angrily as she disappeared in a golden light. 

Jayden shakingly got to his feet, taking the chance that Dekker was talking to himself. He stumbled forward, unaware that Dekker had turned to glance at him. “Where do you think you’re going?” The Half-Nighlok tore Uramasa from the ground, transforming into his Nighlok half. He shot towards the Red Ranger, raising Uramasa in the air. 

“Jayden! Look out!” Emily screamed in terror. 

Hearing the Yellow Ranger cry out, Jayden turned around, finding Dekker in mid air. 

In an immediate self-defense reaction, Jayden thrusted his SpinSword forward, stabbing Dekker through the chest. 


	58. Confrontation

Jayden’s green eyes were wide in sheer horror, watching as blood dribbled from Dekker’s lips. The shouts of his friends had disappeared from the background. Uramasa landed beside Jayden’s feet, the sword letting out a hum. He could only hear his heavy breathing as Dekker turned back into his human self and grabbed the SpinSword that was going through him. 

Dekker let out a strangled gasp and slowly chuckled. “It seems I hadn’t made a mistake. You were truly the greatest warrior I’ve ever faced.” Tears were slowly gathering in his eyes and he glanced at Jayden’s horror filled face. “I can finally be free. Thank you.” 

The Half-Nighlok gave a sad smile at the Red Ranger before letting out his last breath and laid limp against his SpinSword. Slowly, he disintegrated into the air, vanishing into the wind. His sword Uramasa followed after, disappearing from sight. 

Jayden released his SpinSword, clattering on the ground. He collapsed to his knees and the ground, too exhausted to move. 

“We have to get Jayden out of there!” Mia stated as the fire began to spread across the forest. 

“SpinSword! Dragon Splash!” came a shout. 

The three Rangers found Kevin launching at attack around the fire, quenching the flames that were starting to spread out. 

“There!” Mike shouted, running through an opening the Blue Ranger had created. Mia and Emily followed, grabbing the Red Ranger from the ground. They dragged him out of the fire and to a safer place while Kevin finished off the fire. 

“Jayden!” Mia called out, shaking the Red Ranger. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?” 

“Jayden!” 

* * *

In the Netherworld, Dayu felt Dekker’s spirit disappear from the Nether and Overworld. She clenched the Furry wart in her hands tightly and spat, “He’s gone! Dekker’s gone!” 

Her shout caused Octoroo to look up from his studies and glance at the female Nighlok. “What? Dekker’s dead?” 

Dayu glanced at the ground, covering her mouth with her hand. “I saw it happen. I saw there in spirit! I couldn’t do anything to stop it! He’s gone now and I lost him forever!” 

Octoroo shrugged, turning back to his studies. “At least we still have Master Xandred, despite that it’s taking him too long to recover.” 

Dayu covered her face, clenching her jaw, when the two Rangers heard a twinkle. They spun around to find a cloaked person sitting on Xandred’s throne. “I thought we were the only one’s on the ship.” 

“You were,” the cloaked person replied. “But now I’m here.” 

“Who the hell are you?” Octoroo asked, grabbing his staff and pointed it at the newcomer.

“An ally,” the cloaked person replied, her purple eyes glowing. The two Nighlok’s exchanged confused glances. “

You’re human,” Dayu pointed out, seeing her bare feet. She was astounded that this person hadn’t turned into a Nighlok. 

“We don’t make treaties with humans,” Octoroo spat. “Leave!” 

The cloaked person lifted her hand, examining her fingers. “You haven’t heard me out. I could propose to you a way to kill the Rangers, once and for all.” Octoroo lowered his staff while Dayu glanced at her in surprise. “What?” 

Octoroo narrowed his eyes. “Why are you willing to help us destroy the Rangers? The world? Aren’t  _ you _ human?” 

"I am human," the cloaked person replied. "That doesn't mean I love the human world. I wouldn't give a rats ass if you Nighlok took over the world. I could help you wake Xandred from his eternal sleep and I’ll help you kill the Rangers.” 

“What in it for you?” Octoroo asked. 

“The Rangers and I have a history,” the cloaked person replied, getting off Xandred’s throne. She removed her hood, revealing long raven hair with glowing purple eyes. “And I just want to see them perish.”

“You’re the Purple Samurai Ranger,” Dayu murmured, her eyes widening.

“Lilith Abukara,” the Purple Samurai Ranger replied, bowing to the Nighlok. “At your service.”

* * *

Antonio and Maria arrived where the smoke was dissipating, finding the Rangers around Jayden. 

“Jay!” Antonio gasped as the Wolf Zord came to a halt. The Rangers turned around to find Maria and Antonio running towards them. 

“Maria! Antonio!” Emily stated in relief.

The Purple Ranger skidded the ground where Mia was checking over Jayden. Antonio kneeled beside Maria and glanced at the Rangers. “Is he okay? And Dekker?” 

The Rangers exchanged glances before Mike murmured, “Dekker’s dead. Jayden...killed him.” 

Maria and Antonio’s eyes widened at his response. “It was in self-defense,” Emily added shakingly. “Dekker tried to kill him while his back was turned.” 

Antonio slowly nodded in understanding and turned back to Jayden, who was still unconscious. 

Maria glanced over the Red Ranger, seeing a few cuts and bruises. She could see his life-force holding strong and smiled at the Rangers. “He’s going to be fine. He’s exhausted his Symbol Power.” The Rangers sighed in relief and Mike sat on his butt, laughing nervously. “It’s a miracle he didn’t kill himself.” 

“The Shiba’s have extensive Symbol Power,” Maria replied. “He’s just depleted everything. Hopefully, with a good rest, he’ll replenish it.” 

“We should take him back to the Shiba House,” Mia pointed out.

“He’ll probably leave before we would notice,” Kevin stated. 

“Then we should stay here until he wakes,” Emily declared, earning nods from the Rangers. 

The Blue Ranger turned to Maria and Antonio, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry to pin this to you, but you two should go back to assist Lauren if there’s trouble.” 

The Purple Samurai nodded in agreement, but Antonio didn’t look convinced. Maria touched his shoulder and stated, “You’re still injured. A little rest will help you.” Antonio sighed, nodding. 

“Alright.”

* * *

“That’s impossible,” Octoroo declared at the woman before him. “The Purple Ranger is a young adult, not a grown woman.” 

Lilith laughed, the tone resonating with a twinkle. "See that's the thing, _Octoroo_. The Purple Ranger you've faced is from the future. I am from the present." 

Octoroo slowly nodded. “You want to destroy the Rangers to destroy the future, I assume." 

“Exacto,” Lilith smiled, turning back to the Nighlok. “You’re intelligent.” She approached a window, watching the Sanzu River gently lap against Xandred’s ship. “Oh, to see the the Sanzu River rise and flood the Earth once more.” 

“You’ve seen the flood,” Octoroo murmured, making Lilith smirk. “Of course. I’ve seen it all. I watched the Sanzu River rise and flood the world. I watched how the Rangers fell one by one, till only one remained. It was beautiful. So much chaos, death and destruction.” 

Octoroo laughed, clapping his hands together. “Well, well, seems like you and I have a lot to talk about. If we make this deal, how will we wake the Master up?” 

Lilith glanced at him and stated, “I believe we have a deal?"  Octoroo gave a nod. 

“Tell us how to bring out Xandred,” Dayu demanded, growing impatient. The Purple Samurai pointed at her Harmonium with a smile. “Darling, you already have the key.” 

Dayu glanced at her musical instrument while Octoroo nodded. “Of course. If you play your Harmonium, maybe he’ll wake up sooner!” The female Nighlok could feel her instrument vibrate in sadness and murmured, “You might be right. My heartbreak will make my music more powerful.” 

“Oh ah ooh! That’s true!” Octoroo confirmed. “A sad new tune about Dekker may not only wake up the boss, but it could give him more power than ever!” Dayu passed a hand on her Harmonium and clenched her fist. “Now that my dreams of happiness are over, my Nighlok fate is sealed. It’s time to share my misery with the rest of the world!” 

“The pent up sadness of your Harmonium will be unleashed,” Lilith declared, approaching her. “Let the song of your sadness shatter the world!” 

“You’re right,” Dayu replied, anger overcoming her. “Now with Dekker gone, I have nothing to lose! The world shall know my suffering!” 

The Purple Ranger only smirked.

* * *

After a good night rest, Lauren had woken up and had gotten dressed. She headed towards the kitchen to prepare some breakfast, when she heard a conversation. Lauren stopped near the entrance and leaned towards the entrance, prying the two Rangers who were talking. 

“I heard you come in late last night,” Serena began, cracking some eggs. The pan sizzled in response while Antonio nodded. “We didn’t want to wake y’all,” Antonio told her. “How is he?” Serena asked, worry scribbled on her face. Antonio looked at her and gave her a small smile. “He won.” 

Serena sighed in relief, a smile appearing in her face. 

“Good.” 

Lauren leaned against the wall, feeling her legs weaken and she slid down into the ground. Her brother had won the fight against Dekker. He was safe.

“Why didn’t he return?” Serena continued, flipping the eggs. 

“He has the crazy idea we’ll make stupid mistakes if he’s here,” Antonio responded, turning to the White Ranger. “And he’s right. I went after him not giving a damn and the others did as well.” 

“I believe if he isn’t here, we’re going to make stupid mistakes,” Serena replied. “At least if he’s here, we know he’s going to be safe.” 

“But he doesn’t understand that,” Antonio told her, heading towards the cupboard. “He believes we’ll not follow Lauren if he’s here.” 

Lauren clutched her hand over her chest, knowing the Rangers still didn’t trust her enough to be their leader. She was still a still a Ranger that appeared out of nowhere and took her brother’s place,  _ their _ friends place. The Red Ranger sighed, getting to her feet and headed towards the training room. She needed to punch something to get her frustration out. 

The Red Ranger opened the door and closed it shut. She was about to grab her training gee when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to find the Purple Ranger leaning against the wall, looking at Lauren with concern. 

“We need to talk.”

* * *

The Red Ranger opened his eyes to find himself facing the blue sky, resting against a rock. He lowly groaned and sat up, rubbing his sore muscles. He noticed that his wounds had been tended and glanced around. 

The Rangers were all around him, sitting a few feet away from him except Mia. The Pink Ranger gave him a smile, seeing him awake and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Jayden replied, rubbing his shoulder. “Why are you still here?” 

“We couldn’t let our friend half-dead on the ground would we?” Mike answered from beside Emily. The Green Ranger didn’t turn around to face him, instead opted to glare at the trees in front of him. Jayden felt a pang of hurt hit his chest but let it slide. 

They had every right to be angry at him. 

“Maria tended to your wounds,” Mia replied. The Red Ranger glanced around, noticing that the Purple Ranger was nowhere to be seen. The Pink Ranger knew what he was thinking and added, “She left with Antonio back to the Shiba House. Lauren is very worried about you.” 

The Red Ranger sighed and got to his feet, dusting himself off. He noticed the Rangers were looking at him confused and angry. He knew they were expecting him to say something or to come back with them at the Shiba House, but he couldn’t. 

“Thank you for your help last night,” Jayden told them numbly. He kicked the dirt with his foot as the Rangers remained silent. “I’m sorry I couldn’t share my secret with you. Lauren and the plan had to be protected.” His friends didn’t say anything and Jayden turned away from them. 

“It’s time for me to leave.” 

Kevin’s eyes went wide in shock and anger, clenching the wooden stick he had been messing with tightly in his hands. “Jayden! Stop!” The Blue Ranger threw the stick into the floor, storming towards the Red Ranger. “Stop acting like a pity party! You know you’re still our leader! You can feel it in your bones and in your heart!” 

“Kevin’s right,” Mia added, getting to her feet as well. “We don’t care that you kept your secret from us. We’re still your friends and your followers. When we followed you, it was real. You were our leader, one who led us through many battles no matter the wins or losses.” 

Jayden closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. “I’m not who you thought I was.” 

“What about all the battles?” Mike pointed out, getting off the rock he was sitting at. “You’re telling me, we didn't know the man we trusted to lead the team? The one who fought with all his strength to defeat the Nighlok? If you think everything our team has done isn’t real, just because  _ you _ kept a secret, then turn around and say it to our faces!” 

A silence overcame the Rangers and the tension began to thicken around them. The Rangers held their breath, waiting for Jayden to say something. Slowly, the Red Ranger turned around, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. 

Mike could feel his own eyes water and his voice crackled. “I didn’t think so.” 

Emily walked towards the Red Ranger and hugged him tightly. “Don’t you ever forget who you are Jayden. Being the Red Ranger doesn’t define who you are as a person. For me, what defined you was the real you. The one who was willing to give his life to us and to innocent people around him.” 

Jayden clenched his teeth, biting his tongue to avoid a sob. His friends surrounded him, enveloping him in a group hug.

* * *

Lauren glanced at the Purple Ranger in confusion and asked, “About what?” 

Maria leaned off the wall and stated, “What do you think? About  _ her. _ ” 

Lauren’s eyes went wide and turned away from Maria. “Why do you want to talk about her?” 

“You knew who she was, didn’t you?” Maria replied. 

Lauren sighed, nodding slowly. “Yes.” 

“Why did you warn me about her?” Maria continued approaching the Red Ranger. “What do you know?”

“I don’t know a lot,” Lauren responded, glancing at the Purple Ranger. “I just know she’s the Purple Ranger and doesn’t want you here. That’s all.” 

“Are you sure?” Maria persisted.

Lauren looked at the Purple Ranger in front of her, seeing her hazel eyes worried. The Red Ranger sighed, taking a wooden pole from the training room and walked away from Maria. “Maria, I don’t know her that well. She presented herself to me a few years back, when I was training with the Sealing Symbol. She offered to train me and I took upon her offer.” 

The Red Ranger hit the dummy with the wooden pole. 

“She became my mentor, but she never talked about her past. She is very….reserved,” Lauren commented. “The only thing that caught my attention was her obsession with this...book.” The Red Ranger frowned. “A book about Akiko, the Purple Ranger. She stated about something that Purple Ranger predicted.” 

“The prophecy,” Maria murmured, frowning. Lauren turned to her nodding. “Yeah, something about a prophecy.” Maria glanced at her and stated, “Why is she obsessed with the Prophecy?” 

“She stated something about being granted a large amount of power,” Lauren replied. “It was supposed to be  _ god-like _ . She thinks she’s the one prophesied from that writing.” 

Maria raked a hand through her raven hair and said, “Her obsession is growing bigger.”

Lauren looked at her confused. “What do you mean?”

Maria sighed and looked at the Red Ranger. “She attacked Antonio and I yesterday. She threatened us and stated that she has a deep hate for the Rangers. She doesn’t care what happens to them.” 

Lauren shook her head and murmured, “My mentor wouldn’t do that, would she? I mean….she always told me she cared about me, she wanted me to triumph.” 

Maria placed a hand on her shoulder and replied, “I’m not sure what’s going on. But don’t let this bring you down. You will triumph.” 

Lauren looked at her and smiled. “Thanks. You’re really a good friend.” 

Maria smiled back and replied, “Hey, I told you I would be your friend and friends encourage each other to do their best.”

Suddenly the Gap Sensor sounded, making both Rangers sigh. 

“Duty calls.” 

When the two women reached the Common Room, they found Antonio and Serena looking at the map. 

“The attack is at the Marina,” Serena informed them as they neared them. 

Lauren turned to the Gold and Purple Rangers. “I know this will be difficult without Jayden, but I need you two for battle.”

“I would be honored to fight by your side,” Antonio nodded, bowing. “So please, lead me to battle.” Lauren was flattered by his response and glanced at the Purple Ranger, who nodded. “Lead us, Lauren. We put our lives on your hands.” 

Lauren nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaled. She glanced at them, determination flowing throughout her body. She glanced at Serena and stated, “Please, call the others.” The White Ranger nodded, taking out her Samuraizer as the three Rangers dashed out of the Common Room. 


	59. Evil Reborn

The Red, Gold and Purple Rangers arrived to the marina, finding Mega Moogers attacking the citizens. “ _ Dios mio _ ,” Antonio gasped out, his eyes wide in horror. 

The Purple Ranger glanced around, noticing regular Moogers terrorizing the people on the ground. She turned to the two Rangers and proclaimed, “I’ll try to get these people out of the way.” Lauren and Antonio nodded as the Purple Ranger summoned her Wolf Zord. She hopped on top of it and rode off towards the swarming Moogers. 

“We should form the Claw Armored Megazord,” Lauren ordered, looking at Antonio. “Are you up for it?” 

“Always,” Antonio replied, taking out his Samuraizer. 

Lauren took out her Samuraizer and yelled out, “Claw Armored Megazord!” 

In a flash of golden light, the Zord’s appeared forming into the Claw Armored Megazord. The two Rangers disappeared, reappearing into the Megazord’s cockpit. 

“We are united!” 

Lauren clenched her jaw, watching the Mega Moogers destroy the city around them. “Let’s cut these guys down to size!” she declared, leading the Megazord towards the Moogers.

* * *

The Blue Ranger’s Samuraizer ringed, making him answer the call. “Lauren, Maria and Antonio need your help. Moogers are attacking the Marina," Serena stated. 

“Got it. We’ll be there,” Kevin replied closing his Samuraizer and turned to the Rangers who were looking at him worriedly. 

“There’s a Mooger attack at the marina. Lauren, Maria and Antonio are already on their way.” 

“We should go help them,” Mike pointed out. Kevin glanced at Jayden and declared, “You should join us.” The Red Ranger looked conflicted and the Rangers awaited his answer. A smile suddenly broke across his face and stated, “I need a minute, but I promise, I’ll meet you there.” 

The Rangers smiled, happiness spreading across their faces. 

“Seriously?” Mike grinned which Jayden nodded. Mike fist bumped him, laughing in relief. “Sweet!” 

“You should go,” Jayden told them, glancing at his Rangers. “My sister and the others need you.” 

“Right!” Kevin nodded, glancing at the others, who nodded. 

“Go, Go Samurai!” 

The four Rangers morphed into their respective colors, running towards battle. Jayden watched them leave, pride swelling in his chest. 

He was too lucky to have great friends like them.

* * *

At the marina, people screamed in terror as Moogers attacked them. 

Maria rode opposite of the fleeing people, drawing out her SpinSword. “Lyall! Help these people! I’ll deal with the Nighlok!” The Wolf Zord barked in response and the Purple Ranger jumped off her Wolf Zord, landing on top of a Mooger, stabbing him. 

That caught the attention of the Moogers and turned towards her, roaring angrily. 

“Come and get it!” Maria snarled, wielding her sword behind her. She spun around, slashing down the Moogers that dared to attack her. 

Lyall meanwhile was pushing Moogers off civilians that had fallen in the stampede of panic. 

The swarm of Moogers were beginning to overwhelm her and the Purple Ranger scoffed. “Time to resort to other measures.” She threw her SpinSword into the air, transforming her sword into her Lightning Kamas. “Lightning Kamas! Lightning Dance!” The Purple Ranger danced around the Moogers, her kama’s swinging around in a deadly lightning dance. 

Meanwhile, the Megazord was fighting against the Mega Moogers. Antonio noticed Maria fighting the waves of Moogers on the ground. “Damn! Seems there's a Mooger convention down there!” 

Lauren scoffed frustrated that they were getting overwhelmed by the Mega Moogers. “We can’t help her. If we attack those Moogers on the ground, we risk harming the civilians!” 

The Purple Ranger was slashed in the back, making her stagger forward before another Mooger attacked her. She fell to the ground, converting her Lightning Kama’s back to her SpinSword and blocked a Moogers attack. “Shit!” Maria gasped out, watching the Moogers blade getting too close to her head for comfort. 

She could heal injuries, but a fatal one, not so much. 

Suddenly she saw the flash of a blade slash through the Moogers around her. “Get off our Purple Samurai!” 

The Blue Ranger stood in front of her as the Moogers collapsed into the ground. Kevin wielded his sword to his side and extended his hand helping her to her feet. “Thanks Kevin,” Maria told him. “No problem,” Kevin replied with a nod and darted away to help the others. 

Maria smirked, finding the other Rangers slashing down the Moogers. 

Lauren and Antonio smiled, seeing the other Rangers had aided the Purple Ranger. “I knew our team would come through!” Antonio smirked and Lauren chuckled. “You didn’t sound so sure a few minutes ago.”

The Red Ranger looked in front of them, seeing the Mega Moogers charging at them. “Now, let’s do our part!”

* * *

Jayden ran through the fleeing people and arrived at the Marina, finding his friends fighting Moogers. He noticed the Claw Armored Megazord fighting in the distance and smiled. The Red Ranger summoned his SpinSword and shot forward, letting out a battle cry. 

The Rangers heard him and turned around, finding him slashing down Moogers around them. 

“Jayden joined us!” Emily gasped out, jumping in place. 

“C’mon! We can’t let him have all the fun!” Mike replied, spinning around as he slashed down a Mooger.

* * *

Near the shore of the Marina, Dayu stood on top of a rock. She watched the Moogers swarming towards the Rangers while the Mega Moogers attacked the Megazord. 

A gentle breeze blew around Dayu and she clenched the Harmonium in her hands. “It’s time to live up to my promise to Master Xandred and to share my misery with the rest of this pathetic world.” Dayu gently strummed the strings of her Harmonium. 

“Dekker is gone,” Dayu murmured, watching the waves gently lap against the shore. “I’ve been deluding myself of centuries, thinking we could ever be reunited.” She clenched her jaw angrily and shouted, “If I can’t be happy, why should anyone else be? The last piece of my humanity died when Dekker did. All I have left is my evil Nighlok side and it’s time for repay my debt!” 

“I must accept what I am! Who I am! That I’m a monster! I am a Nighlok!” Dayu proclaimed, glancing at her harmonium with angry tears.

* * *

On the ground, the Rangers were about to finish off the Moogers when they heard a familiar sound. 

Dayu’s Harmonium. 

The Pink Ranger jumped away from the fight and glanced around, trying to find the female Nighlok. Her eyes fell on the silhouette of Dayu, who stood on top of the rocky shore, glaring at her Harmonium. 

“Dayu!” Mia shouted, catching her attention. 

“Pink Ranger?” Dayu breathed, her eyes wide in shock. 

“Why are you here?” Mia questioned. 

Dayu clenched her jaw and shouted, “Why do you think I’m here?! I’m a Nighlok aren’t I?” Mia flinched at her shout, noticing the sadness in her voice. “I’m here to feast on human suffering like the monster I am!” 

“Dayu, you...You only cared about Dekker! You never saw yourself as the monster you were!” Mia yelled back.

“Dekker is gone!” Dayu cried out. “I’ve lost the last shred of humanity left when  _ your _ Red Ranger killed him! Now you Rangers will have to pay!” 

Mia glanced at her in sadness, not believing what Dayu had become. She tightened her grip on her SpinSword and felt tears fill her eyes. “If that’s the case, then you’ll fall by my blade!” 

“You’re a fool!” Dayu told her. “You will soon see nothing but darkness!” She disappeared from sight and reappeared in front of the Pink Ranger, her danto drawn out. “I’m here for you, Pink Ranger!” 

Dayu slashed at the Pink Ranger, who easily dodged her attacks. Mia swung her sword at the female Nighlok, who blocked it. Mia pushed off her sword and spun around, trying to hit the Nighlok with the butt of her sword. Dayu raised her Harmonium, blocking the attack. 

Both women were back to back, not willing to lose their grip with each other. 

“For 200 years, I wouldn’t accept my Nighlok life, but now I have nothing to lose!” Dayu snarled. They pushed off each other, swinging their weapons against each other. Mia grunted feeling Dayu’s strength against her blade and pushed off, jumping backwards. 

Dayu took the opportunity to swing at the Pink Ranger’s legs, but Mia jumped in the air. 

“You will never conquer us, Rangers!” Mia raised her sword above her head in the air and yelled, “While we live, darkness will never rein!” 

Dayu raised her Harmonium in an attempt to block the attack but Mia sliced her in half as she landed on the ground. 

The female Nighlok gasped out in shock, staggering back as lightning crackled around her. Mia watched Dayu stagger, her legs trembling as she laughed. 

Mia’s eyes went wide in uncertainty and felt her heart hammer against her chest. “Why are you laughing?” 

Dayu continued to laugh, stepping back as she continued to spark. “Because Pink Ranger, you didn’t defeat me. Can’t you feel it? Can’t you feel all the evil power you just released from my Harmonium?” She raised it, glancing at it and stated, “It’s destruction will unleash a cloud of pure magnificent misery! To which will help raise Master Xandred out of the depths of the Sanzu River!” 

Mia felt her breath get struck in her throat, sudden realization hitting her. 

By her foolishness, she had helped Master Xandred rise again. 

“You’re all doomed!” Dayu screamed, her Harmonium dropping out of her hand. The Pink Ranger tried to catch it before it fell, but she was too slow. As soon as the Harmonium hit the ground, the black cloud of misery sent Mia flying backwards into the ground. 

“All humans are doomed!” 

Dayu laughed manically as a black swirl of misery began to spread across the beach and towards the Marina.

* * *

The Rangers were fighting the Moogers when the sky began to darken. Kevin sliced down a Mooger and turned around, seeing the swirl of dark energy shot towards the sky. 

“What is that?” Emily whispered, looking at the Green Ranger, who slowly shook his head. 

The Purple Ranger kicked down a Mooger and stiffened, feeling the change of air. She looked at Jayden, who was far off, seeing that the Red Ranger was also frozen. 

The Gold and Red Ranger’s inside the Megazord noticed the black tornado of energy shooting towards the sky and gasped out. “Whoa,” Antonio began, his eyes wide. “What is that?” 

“I don’t know,” Lauren replied, noticing her hand shaking against the Mega blade. “But, do you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Antonio asked, looking at the Red Ranger. “It’s like the air is suddenly filled with sadness,” Lauren whispered. 

“A cloud of pure misery,” Antonio murmured, glancing at Lauren horrified. The Red Ranger shook her head. “Oh no!”

* * *

In the Netherworld, the Sanzu River water grew violent, throwing the ship and Octoroo like rag dolls. “Whoa!” he cried out, grabbing a hold of a barrel that was nearby. “I’ve never seen the Sanzu River rise so quickly!” 

“I told you that Dayu held the key,” the Purple Samurai declared, sitting on Xandred’s throne. “This will heal Master Xandred and you can go on with the conquer of the world.” 

“I still don’t know why you’re helping us,” Octoroo pointed out. “I’m curious to why you hate the Rangers.” 

“That’s a long story,” Lilith declared, getting to her feet. “Now prepare, Nighlok, for your Master has arrived on Earth.”

* * *

Mia got off the ground, watching as a giant wave of water shot into the air. 

“This-This can’t be happening!” Mia cried out, her eyes wide in shock. 

The Blue, Yellow and Green Rangers rushed into the shore, finding Mia staring in terror at the curtain of water in front of her. “No….” 

“I-It’s him,” Kevin shakingly declared. 

“Not again…” Mike breathed, shaking his head. 

The curtain of water collapsed around the silhouette revealing the Master of all Nighloks, Master Xandred. He opened his eyes, finding the Pink Ranger a few feet away from him and the rest of the Rangers scattered across the shore. He took in a deep breath and let out an angered roar. 

“It’s Xandred,” Emily whispered, covering her mouth in terror. 

The Master of all Nighlok’s glared at the Rangers before him and walked towards them. “Samurai Rangers!” he snarled. “Give up! There’s no hope left!” 

The Rangers took a few steps back in precaution, making the Nighlok laugh. He glanced at the female Nighlok, who was struggling to stand. “Dayu. Thanks to you, I have returned.” 

Dayu let out a soft chuckle and whispered, “I repaid my debts to you, Master.” 

“Now the humans world shall fall to me!” Xandred proclaimed, turning back to the Rangers. The Samurai Rangers froze in pure fear, not believing what they were seeing. “You look shocked Rangers. I don’t blame you.” 

Xandred walked towards them, with the Rangers raising their Spin Swords. “Now, with my renewed power, nothing can stop me!”

* * *

On the other side of the shore, Maria and Jayden were still fighting down the Moogers. 

“There’s still so many!” Jayden commented, slashing down a Mooger. Maria stabbed a Mooger that was behind her and gasped, her eyes widening in shock. “Xandred!” 

“What?” Jayden asked, turning to where the Purple Ranger was looking at. His green eyes widened in horror observing the Master of all Nighlok facing the other Rangers. “Xandred has returned!"

The Red Ranger clenched his jaw and glanced at the Purple Ranger. “You have to go help them.” Maria looked at him wide eyed and stated, “What about you? I can’t leave you here with all these Moogers.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Jayden shook his head. “You’re one of the few Rangers that can stand a chance with him. If I could I would help, but I have no suit and I’ll be killed before I could lift a finger.” Maria didn’t want to leave the Red Ranger by himself but he grabbed her shoulders. “Please, help them.” 

The Purple Ranger could see the fear in his green eyes, the same ones Future Jayden gave her when he asked her to change time. Maria closed her eyes, nodding solemnly. “Alright. But please be careful.” 

“I’ll try to finish this off quickly,” Jayden told her, squeezing her shoulders. He turned back to the Moogers while Maria nodded, running towards the others.

* * *

In the MegaZord, Antonio and Lauren had destroyed the last of the Mega Moogers when they noticed Xandred on the ground. “Master Xandred…” Lauren whispered, her green eyes wide in horror. “That’s not good,” Antonio clenched his jaw. “We have to get down there! You can use your Sealing Power on him!” 

Lauren looked at the Gold Ranger, giving a nod, determination flowing into her. 

This is what she had trained for.

* * *

Dayu walked towards Xandred, collapsing into the ground. “Master Xandred,” she grunted, struggling to get off the ground. 

Xandred glanced at the female Nighlok and declared, “Your Harmonium brought me back, Dayu. The final tune it played was…. _ powerful _ .” 

Dayu looked up to him and proclaimed, “My misery did it.” 

“Your centuries of suffering unleashed all that power,” Master Xandred pointed out. “Now, the Sanzu River is surging. I’ve never heard you play anything like it.” 

Dayu clenched her fists against the rocks and spat, “I didn’t play it for you! I played for Dekker!” 

Mia felt her breath get stuck in her throat, understanding why Dayu had picked the fight with her. It wasn’t for her to unleash Xandred, but herself. 

Dayu got on her feet, groaning and clenched her chest. “This is the end of me, but it is also the end of my sadness.” The female Nighlok slowly chuckled and whispered, “So many years I’ve held onto my sorrow, but now…” 

Dayu began to fall sideways, but Xandred caught her before she dropped into the ground. 

“You should have embraced the Nighlok life,” Xandred chided her. Dayu heavily breathed against his chest, her life force ebbing away. “I was never truly a Nighlok,” Dayu lamented. “My heart always remained human.” 

Xandred sighed, looking at the female Nighlok. “Well, perhaps you can still be of use to me.” 

“Master,” Dayu weakly replied, glancing at Xandred. 

Xandred leaned towards her and whispered into her ear, “I’ll grant your wish. Go, be with Dekker!” He tightened his grip around her, crushing her against his chest. “But part of you will stay with me.” 

Dayu gasped out while the Rangers watched horrified.

“What’s he doing to her?” Mike breathed, his eyes wide in horror. 

“No,” Mia whispered, shaking her head. “Stop!” 

The Rangers only watched as the female Nighlok glowed purple, disappearing into thin air, leaving behind the robes she wore when Dekker and her had turned into Nighloks. 

Xandred let Dayu’s robes fall into the ground, while the Rangers watched wide eyed. 

“What did he just do to her?” Emily gasped out. “I don’t know…” Kevin answered while Mia covered her mouth in horror. 

Xandred closed his eyes before opening them, turning to the Rangers. “Now, as for you, Samurai Rangers.” He raised his Broadsword towards them, making the Rangers get into fighting stances. Xandred was about to swing, when he noticed that two Rangers were missing.

Xandred scoffed, clenching his teeth. “Where is the Red Ranger that deceived me all this time? And where is his lapdog?” When the Rangers didn’t answer, he roared at them. “I want him! Where are you Red Ranger?!” 

“Careful guys!” Kevin told them, wielding his sword in front of him. “Keep your distance!” 

“I heard you were looking for me!” came a shout. 

Xandred and the Rangers turned around to find Lauren with Antonio beside her, ready to fight. 

“I’m the Red Ranger and your downfall!” Lauren declared. “Today, you will be sealed for eternity!”


	60. The Sealing Symbol

Xandred glanced at the female Red Ranger that stood in the distance with the Gold Ranger beside her. “You?” he snorted, glaring at her. “What can a little girl like you do? Today is the end of you, Rangers!” 

“The only thing ending is you!” Antonio shouted.

“You’re a fool,” Xandred snarled, raising his Broadsword towards them. It glowed red with pure evil energy and he slashed at Antonio and Lauren. The Gold Ranger turned to the Red Ranger, pushing Lauren out of the way. The energy slash landed behind them exploding. 

Both Rangers screamed out, landing on the ground with Antonio rolling beside Lauren. He quickly got to his feet and looked at the female Red Ranger, who grabbed her SpinSword off the ground. “You okay?” Antonio asked her, who nodded. 

“Lauren!” 

The two Rangers glanced up to find the other four Rangers rushing towards them. “I’m fine,” Lauren assured them, trying to calm her own accelerating heart. “Guys, I need you to listen to me.” The Rangers huddled together waiting Lauren’s orders. “I’m going to use the Sealing Symbol,” Lauren declared. “But it takes time to write. I need you to keep him busy, got it?” 

The Rangers all nodded grimly. 

Lauren summoned the Black Box and gave it to the Blue Ranger, who took it from her hands. “Kevin, take the Black Box.” 

“Gladly,” Kevin nodded. Lauren opened the compartment of her belt and took out the Shark Disk, giving it to the Green Ranger. “Mike, take the Shark Disk.” 

“Okay,” Mike nodded, taking the disk from her hands. 

“These items will help you cover me, while I try to seal Xandred.” 

“Right,” the Rangers nodded. 

“Well, well,” Xandred declared, approaching them and raised his hand towards the Rangers. “Having a nice meeting?” He blasted them with an energy blast, causing the Rangers to block the attack. 

“Shark Attack Mode!”

“Super Samurai!”

The fire dispersed around the Rangers, revealing the Blue Ranger had turned into Super Blue while the Green Ranger wore the red vest of Shark Attack mode. 

Xandred only laughed at them. 

Kevin wielded his sword in front of him, followed by Mike. “Whatever happens, protect Lauren at all costs!” 

“Right!” the Rangers answered, running towards Xandred. 

“Remember! Only Lauren has the power to finish him off!” Kevin continued, swinging his sword at Xandred. 

The Rangers slashed at Xandred, who didn’t attempt to protect himself. Their blades sliced against his skin, but didn’t do any effect towards him. Xandred only smirked, jumping away faster than they could blink. 

“What?” Kevin gasped out, his blade hitting empty air. 

They all suddenly felt a blade slicing through their suits, a red blur running past them. The Rangers gasped out in pain, staggering before the red blur ran past them in the opposite directing, the blade slicing them once again. 

They grunted in pain and saw Xandred jump in the air, raising his hands towards them. He shot a lightning blast at the Rangers sending them flying towards the ground in an explosion. The Rangers cried out in agony, landing against the rocks on the rocky shore. 

Xandred laughed at their feeble attempts to attack him. “I have no business with you small fish!” He glanced around, finding Lauren standing a few yards away, taking out her Samuraizer. “But her…” The Nighlok walked towards the female Red Ranger while the Rangers struggled to stand. 

“No! Lauren!” Mike shouted, shakingly getting to his feet and rushed towards Xandred. The Green Ranger jumped on Xandred’s back while Kevin grabbed his left arm, holding Xandred and pulling him back. The Nighlok snarled, trying to pry them off him. “Get your hands off me!” Xandred roared, grabbing Mike and threw him over his back. He grabbed Kevin and threw him into Mia and Emily, knocking them into the ground. 

Antonio shot forward, drawing out his Barracuda Blade but Xandred blocked his attack and slashed him across the chest. Antonio gasped out, spinning in the air and landed on the ground, clutching his chest.

Lauren meanwhile was preparing her first stroke in writing the Sealing Symbol. “Here it goes!” Lauren breathed. “Everything I’ve ever done has been for this moment! I must succeed! This is for you, father!” 

In the distance, Lilith watched the fight a smile in her face. “If only you knew the outcome, my apprentice. You will fail.” 

* * *

At the bottom, Xandred had Mike by the throat, choking the life out of him. 

“Mike!” Emily yelled, slashing at Xandred, trying to break her boyfriend free of his grasp. Mike gasped out, grabbing the hand that was on his throat. Xandred swung him around, slamming the Green Ranger into the Yellow Ranger. Both Rangers rolled on the ground, groaning. 

Kevin took the chance to slash at him, but Xandred countered his attack, slashing across his chest. The Blue Ranger collapsed into the ground, his SpinSword clattering away from him. The Gold Ranger attacked Xandred next, but didn’t fare any better. 

Xandred blocked his blade, knocking it off the Gold Ranger’s hands, sweeping his feet from underneath him. Antonio fell to the ground, winded before Xandred planted his foot on his back. The Gold Ranger tried to push himself off the ground, but the Nighlok stomped his back. 

“Ah, the pitiful servant that sacrificed himself to save the Red Ranger,” Xandred began, placing his Broadsword near his neck. Mike got off the ground, his eyes widening seeing Xandred’s blade near the Gold Ranger’s neck. “Antonio!” he shouted, running towards Xandred. The other Rangers followed suit and Xandred glanced at them, roaring. The ripple of energy sent the Rangers flying backwards, skidding the ground. 

The Rangers groaned painfully and Xandred turned to Antonio, who was glancing at him sideways. “As for you,” Xandred threatened, raising his Broadsword in the air. “Your death will make the Rangers learn not to get in my way!” Antonio’s eyes went wide in fear, the blade getting closer to him. 

Suddenly a lightning streak slammed into Xandred, sending him flying towards the cliff. 

“Sorry I’m late,” came a voice. “But your foot soldiers really didn’t want me to join the fun.” Antonio quickly turned over, finding the Purple Samurai Ranger standing in front of him. “Glad you’re here,” Antonio smirked as she turned to him, giving him a grin. She helped him to his feet as he grabbed his Barracuda Blade from the ground. 

“You’re always here on the nick of time,” Kevin replied, jogging towards the two Rangers. 

Xandred glared at the Rangers, getting to his feet. The Purple Ranger wielded her SpinSword at Xandred and stated, “If we’re getting nostalgic here, then I need to remind you, that this was the same way we met each other back a few months ago.” 

Xandred scoffed. “Ah, the Red Ranger’s lapdog. I was wondering when you’ll appear.” 

“Didn’t know I was famous enough that the Master wanted to see me,” Maria snarked back. 

Xandred roared, dashing towards the Rangers in blinding speed. The Purple Ranger narrowed her eyes, shooting forward, her SpinSword colliding with Xandred’s Broadsword. The two energy’s hitting each other sent ripples of energy around them. The Rangers planted their feet on the ground to avoid getting thrown on the ground. 

Maria glared at Xandred, her blade chipping under the overwhelming strength of the Nighlok. “Don’t think too lightly, Purple Samurai Ranger,” Xandred spat. “I’m stronger than we first met!” 

Maria slid her blade against his, kicking him back. Xandred skidded the ground as she threw her blade in the air, converting them into her Lightning Kamas. The purple ribbons tied around her arms as lightning crackled around her. 

“Let’s dance, shall we?” Maria declared with a smirk. “I apologize Purple Ranger, but your dance will be short!” Xandred pointed out, wielding his sword in front of him. 

“Lightning Dance!” 

Maria shot forward, swinging her Kama’s around slashing at the Nighlok. Xandred avoided her attacks and the ones that did hit him, didn’t have any effect. The Purple Ranger threw her kama away from Xandred, disappearing and reappearing a few feet away. Maria’s eyes were wide in worry.  _ Shit! Nothing is working! It’s like my blades were dull! _

Xandred shot towards her, swinging his Broadsword at her, sending an energy wave at her. Maria avoided the attack, feeling the scorching energy slice the side of her helmet and explode behind her.  _ That was too close! One hit from that and… _

Xandred suddenly appeared in front of her, making her eyes grow wide in shock. “Surprise!” He swung his blade at her, sending her flying towards the cliff. The Purple Ranger slammed against the cliff, collapsing into the ground. 

“C’mon! We can’t let her fight by herself!” Kevin yelled at the Rangers, who shot forward. The other Rangers powered up their weapons slashing at Xandred with everything they got, but Xandred brushed it off with ease. 

“You’re nothing but annoying pests!” 

The Purple Ranger slowly rose of the ground and tightened her grip with her Kamas.  _ I guess I have no other choice! _ She closed her eyes, building up her Symbol Power. 

The Red Ranger at the cliff side continued to write the Sealing Symbol, sweat building up in her forehead. 

“Super Spin Zord!” Kevin called out, spinning the disk on his SpinSword. His blade vibrated in blue energy while Mike attached the Shark Disk on his blade. “Shark Zord Strike!” 

Both men slashed at Xandred, their attacks spinning around each other to hit the Nighlok. 

Xandred growled in annoyance, blocking both attacks with ease before returning their own attack at the Rangers. The Purple Ranger managed to teleport them away from the blast, the attack exploded where they once stood. “Thanks!” Mike panted, glancing at the Purple Ranger. “I’m going to do a technique,” Maria told them. “Hopefully, it will keep him down for a slight minute.” 

“Alright,” Kevin nodded. “Follow my lead!” Maria replied, getting to her feet. 

The Purple Ranger swung her kamas around, the ribbons crackling in lightning. “Lightning Kamas! Lightning Blast!” She threw her kama at Xandred who caught it and glanced at her before she appeared in front of him. She swung around, her left kama slashing his right arm, lightning crackling around it. 

Xandred roared as the Purple Ranger landed on her feet, while Kevin and Mike slashed Xandred, making him stagger back. “You think this paralyzing technique will stop me!” Xandred roared the three Rangers. He swung his sword at them with his left hand, throwing an energy wave at them, sending them flying towards the other side of the battlefield. 

The three Rangers screamed, skidding the ground as Xandred approached the Red Ranger. 

Lauren watched Xandred walking towards her and she continued to write, sweat dripping down her forehead. “Almost done….Almost done!” 

“Not today,” Xandred told her. “Not ever!”

* * *

Meanwhile Jayden had reached the cliffside, trying to find the rest of the Rangers. His eyes fell on his sister, who was writing the Sealing Symbol while Xandred walked towards her. 

Xandred raised his Broadsword and slashed an energy wave at Lauren. At the same moment, Lauren finished the Sealing Symbol, spinning it around. “Samurai Symbol Power!” she yelled. “Seal!” 

The Symbol shot towards Xandred, destroying the energy wave mid way and hitting him straight in the chest. Xandred shrieked in pain as black lightning crackled around him and was sent flying towards the cliff. An explosion engulfed him with the Rangers watching the flames wrap around Xandred. 

“Yes!” Kevin cried out, getting to his feet. 

“It worked!” Mia pointed out, embracing Emily. 

“He’s gone!” Antonio declared. “She did it!” 

“We won!” Mike shouted as he ran towards the other Rangers. 

Lauren glanced at her Samuraizer, tears in her eyes. “I really did it, father! I sealed Master Xandred!” 

Jayden let out a breath as well, looking at his older sister in pride. “She did it. At last, we are free from the Nighlok.” 

The Purple Ranger slowly got to her feet, watching Xandred getting engulfed in flames. Was this really it? Was this Xandred’s end? She casted a glance across the battlefield, seeing the Rangers cheering.  _ Maybe it was too easy…. _

Maria walked towards the Rangers when she felt the shift in the air around her. Maria glanced back at Xandred, his screams turning into low laughter. Her eyes grew wide, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. 

The flames around Xandred died out, the Nighlok collapsing into the ground. The Rangers cheer faded, gasps of terror replacing them. 

Lauren saw Xandred standing before the Rangers, horror filling every fiber of her being. “NO!” she gasped out, shaking her head. 

On the cliffside, Jayden’s face went pale, shaking his head. “That’s impossible…” 

Xandred got to his feet, cackling and glared at the Rangers, roaring angrily. “You think it would be that easy to get rid of me?!” The Nighlok began to advance towards the Rangers, who raised their swords. 

“How did the Sealing Symbol not work?” Emily cried out in fear. 

Lauren shook her head, glancing at her Samuraizer. “No Nighlok can stop the Sealing Symbol.” 

Xandred smirked at the Red Ranger and pointed at the white patch on his chest. The Rangers were confused, never seeing that before. “This little patch is what saved me. This white patch is Dayu’s human side!” 

Mia gasped out, suddenly realization hitting her. “He absorbed Dayu’s body. He’s not pure Nighlok anymore!” 

“That’s right,” Xandred grinned. “Now I don’t even need Sanzu Water to keep me from drying out.” 

“Damn it,” Maria growled, clenching her teeth. “Dayu’s human side must have protected Xandred from the Sealing Power!” 

Lauren glanced at Xandred horrified. “How can we stop him now?” 

Xandred laughed and declared, “You can’t.” He raised his arm at the Rangers, sending a blast at them. They didn’t get to dodge, their surroundings exploding rapidly, engulfing the area in flames. 

Maria could hear the Rangers screaming out in pain before the flames went out, a wind blast from Xandred heading towards Lauren. 

“Lauren!” Jayden cried out, trying to run towards the female Red Ranger. 

The Purple Ranger turned to the Red Ranger, noticing she had no time to dodge. “NO!” Maria took out her Samuraizer, quickly writing a symbol. “Time Freeze!” The area around herself froze in place and the Purple Ranger forced herself to her feet, shooting towards Lauren. She extended her arms to push Lauren out of the impact when she heard a twinkle.

“Time Symbol: Unwind!” 

Maria’s hazel eyes widened in horror as her time symbol dispersed. She could feel the wind slicing her skin, the attack about to hit her and Lauren. 

“ _ Die! _ ” 

An explosion engulfed both women, causing the Rangers to scream out their names. 


	61. The Beginning of the End

Smoke covered the cliffside, making the Ranger’s eyes go wide. 

Jayden’s green eyes were blazing afire, his teeth clenched tightly. “Lauren!” 

“No,” Emily whispered, tears forming in her brown eyes. “She can’t be…” 

Antonio’s eyes flashed in fear, knowing that for a split second he had seen Maria heading towards Lauren.  _ Maria…. _ The Gold Ranger clenched his fingers around the dirt around him, worry washing over him. 

* * *

Lauren slowly opened her eyes to find herself hanging off the cliff. Flames threatened to burn her and she recoiled away from them on instinct. She groaned, feeling a sharp pain shoot up her right arm before noticing that she wasn’t hanging on into the ledge. 

The female Red Ranger gasped out in surprise, trying to figure out how she was floating mid air. She coughed, the smoke filling up her nostrils and covered her nose with her sleeve. She glanced around, finding a Purple ribbon around her waist.  _ This is….! _

“Are you okay?” came a voice.

Lauren glanced up, seeing the bloodied Purple Ranger holding tightly into the purple ribbon. The Red Ranger looked at her surprised and nodded. The Red Ranger felt herself being lifted upward and she climbed aboard the cliffside, panting for breath. 

“Are you okay?” Lauren asked, grabbing her arm tightly. 

“I’m still in one piece,” Maria declared with a slight laugh. Lauren laughed in relief before hearing her brother screaming her name. 

“Lauren!” came Jayden’s shout.

“Jayden!” Lauren yelled back. The smoke was subsidizing and Lauren could see the other Rangers injured on the ground. “The others!” Lauren noted, getting to her feet. 

“Hold on, Princess,” Maria told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

Both Rangers shot towards the other Rangers as a lightning streak, landing near the Rangers. 

“You’re alive!” Antonio exclaimed, seeing the injuries both Rangers had. “Like in hell I’m going to die!” Maria declared with a smirk. 

Jayden felt relief enter his body and took out his Samuraizer, turning to face Xandred, writing the symbol for  _ home _ . 

Xandred watched annoyingly as the Rangers vanished from sight. 

“I’ll finish you off later.” 

The Master of all Nighloks walked back towards the shore, were Dayu’s robes lay. “Dayu, my darling,” Xandred lamented, picking her robe off the ground. “You served me well.” Xandred swung her clothes into his back and walked towards a gap. 

“Nothing will save the humans now.”

* * *

When the Rangers arrived at the Common Room, Serena and Ji had first aid kits in their hands. 

“Is everyone okay?” Jayden asked, glancing at the Rangers. 

“Seems we all have minor injuries,” Kevin noted. 

“And a hurt pride,” Mike muttered, glancing away. 

“Lauren has a broken arm,” Maria declared, pointing at the Red Ranger’s right hand. 

“Let’s tend to her first,” Mentor Ji told Serena. 

“I can heal the others,” the Purple Ranger stated, turning to the Rangers. Mentor Ji nodded and led Lauren away from the others.

* * *

A while later, Maria tended to the other Ranger’s wounds while they were hanging around the kitchen, lamenting their injuries. 

The Green Ranger sat on the steps leading towards the training room, a grim look on his face. “Xandred beat us bad.” 

“He’s more powerful than before,” Mia exhaled, leaning against the wall. 

“Even I couldn’t keep up with him,” Maria added, healing Emily’s bruises.

“If the Sealing Symbol didn’t work, how are we going to defeat him?” Mike questioned, glancing at the older Rangers. “He’s immune to it and now he doesn’t even need Sanzu Water!”

“Can we even beat him?” 

Mia looked away from Mike’s desperate gaze, hoping she had the answer to Mike’s question, everyone’s question.

The Blue Ranger overheard the conversation from the practice room and angrily punched the punching bag in front of him. “We almost had him!” 

“We shouldn’t blame ourselves for what happened,” Antonio told them. “We wouldn’t have known Xandred could pull that off.” 

“We should’ve guessed,” Kevin growled, punching the bag once more. “We underestimated him once again. He’s always one step ahead of us!” 

The Rangers watched the frustrated Blue Ranger, let out his anger on the punching bag. 

Emily turned to Maria. “You know, I feel bad for Lauren. Imagine training all your life for the moment to seal Xandred, only to fail.” 

* * *

After Ji and Serena helped fix her arm, Lauren opted to head outside into the yard. She sat on a bench near the porch of the Shiba House, glancing at the night sky. 

Jayden opened the door towards the yard, finding his sister staring at the sky. He sighed, approaching her and sat beside her. 

Both Rangers remained silent, looking at the sky. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” 

Jayden nodded in response. “It is.” 

“Kind of reminds you what we’re fighting for,” Lauren continued. 

Jayden glanced at his sister, who kept staring at the night sky. “Lauren…” Jayden began but she interrupted him.

“You know what’s coming next, don’t you?” Lauren glanced down at her broken arm, clenching her jaw. “That cloud of sorrow that Dayu released, has sent the Sanzu River to burst. Nothing will stop Xandred now from sailing his ship into our world.” 

Tears formed in her green eyes and she looked at the ground sadly. “I let everyone down, Jayden. You, the Rangers and our….dad.” Lauren closed her eyes, a few tears slipping down her face. Jayden glanced at her sadly, not knowing what to say. 

“I’m handing the leadership back to you.” 

Jayden’s eyes went wide and looked at her in shock. “Wha-What?”

Lauren glanced at her brother and declared, “I came here to seal Master Xandred. But that plan failed. Now, the new plan is for you to lead the team again.” She gave Jayden a saddened smile. “You have a great team Jayden. They need you now. The whole world needs you.” 

Jayden didn’t know what to tell her, but his grin told everything Lauren needed to know. 

“I’ll do my best. It’s time to finish what dad started.” 

Lauren nodded and got off the bench. “I’ll call a meeting right away and tell the others.”

* * *

Octoroo observed out the window of Xandred’s ship, laughing in glee. “Oh ah oh! Thanks to Dayu, the Sanzu River is finally about to overflow!” He turned to face Xandred, who approached him. “And since you’ve absorbed her humanity, nothing will stop you!” 

Xandred stood beside Octoroo and both of them looked out the window, where the water roughly lapped the shores. 

“This is the best day ever!” 

“Yes,” Xandred proclaimed, grabbing Dayu’s clothes off his shoulder. He extended his hand out the window, where the robes floated out into the Sanzu River. 

Octoroo watched it land into the river, soaking into the crimson red waters. The noodle faced Nighlok sighed and murmured, “Of course, I’ll miss you Dayu, but your sacrifice will bring us our greatest victory.” 

There was a silence making Octoroo glance at Xandred, who turned away from the window. “Uh, you’re not going to say anything for her memory?” Octoroo asked, narrowing his eyes. “She served her purpose.” 

Xandred ignored his statement and exhaled. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Lauren sat in the middle of the Common Room, where all the Rangers surrounded her. “Xandred must be stopped,” she began. “But before that happens, I have something to say. As you know, the Sealing Symbol failed to stop him. I wasn’t...able to get the job done.” 

The Red Ranger looked at the other Rangers, who looked at her skeptically. 

“I’m handing the leadership back to Jayden.” 

The Rangers glanced at her in surprise. 

“Really?” Mike asked, blinking several times. 

Lauren smiled and proclaimed, “I thought you might like the idea of having Jayden back as leader. He’s our best chance now. He’ll lead you into victory, I just know it.” 

Lauren looked at her brother, who blushed at her compliments. He smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder. “Thank you, sister.” The female Red Ranger got off the chair and beckoned for Jayden to sit. The Red Ranger gave a nod and sat, looking at his Rangers. 

The Rangers observed their leader grimly, awaiting his orders. 

“As you saw,” Jayden began. “Xandred is more powerful than ever. It seems he’s unbeatable, but I have a plan.” 

“We’ll have to take him out with brute force.” 

The Rangers snickered in response. “Tha-That’s your plan?” Emily stammered with a nervous grin. 

“Let me explain,” Jayden pointed out. “Lauren’s attempt to seal Xandred didn’t fail completely. She weakened him. Dayu’s human essence might have saved him but it also created a weak spot that we can exploit. If we hit that spot with enough force, we’ll be able to destroy him.” 

“I get where you’re going with this,” Kevin nodded, thoughtfully. “But we’ll need more power.” 

Lauren opened her hand, summoning a red disk. “This will help.” Lauren handed it to Jayden, who observed it with wide eyes. “This is the Shiba Fire Disk.” 

“I’m too injured to join you in battle,” Lauren declared. “But I’ll be there in spirit. This disk contains almost all my Symbol Power packed in it. Hopefully, that’ll be enough to defeat Xandred once and for all.” 

“Nice!” Mike commented, grinning. 

“Thank you Lauren,” Mia smiled at her. “For everything you’ve done for us.” 

“No doubt it will be a tough battle,” Jayden declared. “But we are a strong team, that when together, we can accomplish anything.” 

“Yeah!” the Rangers stated, glancing at each other with grins. 

“Rangers together!” 

“We got this!” 

Mentor Ji could hear the Rangers from the entrance of the Common Room, a grim look in his face. “Such spirit. I pray they come back.”

* * *

The next day in Panorama City, people bustled around. Many were heading to work, while others were getting something for lunch. Others were walking their dogs or hanging out with their friends. 

A woman nearby was tending to some tables when she noticed a red liquid seeping through the storm drains. “Ugh,” she muttered in disgust, placing the food in the table. She turned around, just as a wave of blood red water loomed towards her. It splashed against her, dragging her down under along with several people in the restaurant. The people nearby watched as the humans that were dragged under, turned into monstrous Nighloks. A woman let out a scream, making everyone else yell in terror, running from the scene.

* * *

At the Shiba House, the Gap Sensor blared, causing the Rangers to rush towards the Common Room. 

Mentor Ji was the first one to reach the coffee table, quickly opening the map. Numerous red dots covered the map, making him exclaim, “What?” His eyes went wide in horror. “This looks like an invasion.” 

The Rangers surrounded Mentor, their eyes going wide in shock. “So many dots,” Mike commented, while the others look horrified. “I’ve never seen so many go off all at once,” Mia declared, glancing at Kevin. 

“The Sanzu River is flooding into our world,” Maria proclaimed, glancing at Jayden. Mentor Ji glanced at the Rangers worriedly. “The battle of our world has begun.” 

Jayden glanced at the Rangers and pointed out, “It’s time to make our stand and defeat Xandred for good.” 

“Let’s go,” Emily nodded. 

“We got this,” Mike added, squeezing Emily’s hand.

Lauren watched them leave and turned to Mentor Ji, who clutched his cane tightly. Serena approached Mentor and squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry. They got this.” 

* * *

People screamed in terror, running in stampedes for their lives as the red water washed away everything around them. Buildings caught a fire and collapsed in the churning crimson water. The water began to submerge downtown Panorama City, forcing people to evacuate into higher ground. 

In a gap near a building, the tip of Xandred’s ship was beginning to show. The boat slipped from the gap into the river that had formed around the city. 

“We finally escaped the Netherworld!” Octoroo declared, watching the water rise higher.

“Now we’ll show those miserable humans what suffering really is,” Xandred pointed out, raising his Broadsword in the air. Octoroo grinned, laughing maniacally, raising his hands in the air. 

“This world belongs to the Nighlok now!” Xandred roared. 

In the air, Lilith watched the Sanzu River washing away half of Panorama City. “As it should be,” she murmured with a grin.

* * *

The Rangers arrived near the cliff side, horrified to find the city submerged in Sanzu Water. 

“The city,” Mia murmured. “It’s all under Sanzu River water.” 

“All the people that didn’t make it,” Emily whispered, covering her mouth in shock. 

The Blue Ranger observed the area, seeing armies upon armies of Moogers awaiting command. Kevin frowned, glancing at Jayden, who closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling. 

“This is it,” Antonio swallowed nervously. 

“Are you still happy you became a Samurai?” Mike questioned him, letting out a nervous chuckle. 

Antonio scoffed, a smile spreading across his face. “Are you serious? Being a Ranger is the best thing that’s happened to me. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” The Gold Ranger glanced at the Purple Ranger beside him, who looked at him. She smiled back, blushing. 

“Me neither,” Mike responded, smiling. “No place I’d rather be.”

Jayden opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face. “I guess I don’t have to ask you all if you’re ready for this, then.” 

“As long as you’re with us, we’re ready for anything,” Kevin replied which Jayden smiled at him. 

“No matter what we’re against, we’re in this together all the way,” Emily added. 

The Moogers heard them talking from the cliff and turned towards them, growling angrily. “

Seems we’ve been spotted,” Mia declared, bringing her guard up. 

“It’s been a great ride,” Mike told the Rangers, taking out his Samuraizer. 

“We’ll make it out of this,” Antonio declared, taking out his Samuraizer. “We have to.” 

“Then let’s go,” Jayden commanded, taking out his Samuraizer as well. “Go, Go Samurai!” 

A bright light covered the Rangers, morphing into the Samurai Rangers. They all summoned their SpinSwords and unsheathed their swords as they walked towards the Moogers. 

“Rangers together! Samurai Forever!” 


	62. The Fall of the Red

Lauren paced back and forth in the Common Room, hearing Mentor Ji talking on the phone urgently. The Sanzu River water was quickly leaking into the world and it wasn’t just appearing in Panorama City, but every part of the world. 

“The world is flooding in Sanzu River water. The Rangers are going to be overwhelmed.” Lauren trailed off, biting her lip. 

Serena was sitting down in one of the sofa’s, looking at the TV. Her hands were clenched tightly around the jeans she wore, her chocolate brown eyes glittering in worry. “This is getting worse. Several cities have been completely flooded. They’re evacuating several neighborhoods in Panorama City.” 

The White Ranger got to her feet and glanced at Lauren. “We have to help the Rangers in a way, or we’ll have to prepare for the worst.” Lauren felt her heart drop at the White Ranger’s statement. 

* * *

Jayden let out a battle cry running towards the Moogers, wielding his sword in front of him. The Moogers screeched back, running towards them, swords withdrawn. Both parties slashed at each other, blocking and attacking. 

“We can beat these Moogers!” Jayden declared, slashing one down. 

“There’s too many!” Emily cried out, getting overwhelmed. 

“I’d say this is all of them!” Kevin stated, slicing one in half. 

“Good!” Mike replied, kicking one away from him. “We can get rid of them once and for all!” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Maria noted, swinging her sword around rapidly. Antonio had his back to her, both of them slashing at the Moogers in synchronization. 

* * *

Xandred observed the fight from aboard his ship, grunting in disgust. Octoroo approached him and stated, “Oh ah oh! It’s an epic win for you! The Red Ranger’s seal didn’t work on you, the human world is flooded, and now you can sail wherever you want.” 

“No, Octoroo,” Master Xandred began, narrowing his eyes. “I haven’t won. Not yet. But I will soon. When those miserable Rangers are defeated and they come back crawling for mercy! Then will my victory be complete!” 

“As you wish, Master,” Octoroo replied, nodding.

* * *

The Rangers slashed down the Moogers around them when they heard a creak in the distance. 

Xandred’s ship.

The Rangers watched Xandred’s ship, skid to a stop near a cliff. The Master of all Nighlok’s walked towards the deck, glowering at the Rangers. 

“Rangers!” Xandred roared. “The hour of your destruction has arrived!” He jumped down the cliff and landed on the ground, placing his sword on his shoulder. “Prepare to meet your doom!” 

Jayden narrowed his eyes and wielded his sword in front of him. “Take your best shot, Xandred,” Jayden declared. The Rangers surrounded the Red Ranger, ready to find alongside of him. 

“Oh I will,” Xandred responded. Moogers shielded Xandred, ready to be the first wave to fight the Rangers. 

“There on his chest,” Jayden pointed out. “That’s where he absorbed Dayu’s humanity. It could be his only weak spot!” He summoned the Shiba Fire Disk and glanced at it in determination. “I may only get one shot to strike him there. I have to make it count!” The Red Ranger summoned the Black Box on his SpinSword and attached the Shiba Fire disk. Super Samurai Mode!” A white light covered the Red Ranger, his white vest flowing out behind him. “Cover me!” 

“Flanking positions!” Kevin called out to the Rangers. “Mia! Emily! On the front! Mike and I on the rear! Antonio, Maria! Watch our backs!” 

“Right!” the Gold Ranger nodded, summoning his Light Zord. 

Maria threw her SpinSword in the air, converting it into her Lightning Kamas, the ribbons tying around her arms. Lightning crackled around her and she smirked, “Ready!” 

After the Rangers were in position, the Blue Ranger turned to the Red Ranger. “Mike and I will shield you.” 

“Just focus on hitting that spot,” Mike stated, glancing at Jayden, who nodded. 

A breeze blew around the Rangers and Jayden declared, “It’s time. Get to me as close to Xandred as you can. No matter the cost.” The Rangers nodded in response before Jayden shouted, “Attack!” 

The Rangers shot forward with Emily and Mia slashing at the Moogers in front of them. 

Mike and Kevin went next, slashing an opening for Jayden to run towards Xandred. Antonio and Maria followed him closely behind as Jayden slashed down the Moogers that got in his way. 

Antonio sliced a Mooger down with his blade when he heard a large boom go off. “Spit Bangs!” The Purple Ranger spun around, seeing the fireballs about to hit them. Maria swung her kamas around, deflecting the attacks into the Moogers around them. Antonio jumped in front of her, aiming his Light Zord at the Moogers. “Catch this!” He fired several disks at the Spit Bangs, making them explode. 

“Nicely done,” Maria teased, making him blush. 

“C’mon,” Antonio stated, a slight laugh on his voice. Both Rangers followed the other Rangers, who were heading towards the next wave of Moogers. 

“Foolish Rangers,” Xandred scoffed. “Fighting onward toward their doom.” 

Mia and Emily slashed down the Moogers in front of them, while Mike and Kevin attacked the Moogers behind them. Jayden spun around taking down several Moogers before Mia shouted, “All clear!” 

“Go!” Emily yelled as the Green, Blue and Red Ranger ran past the two girls. 

Xandred sent out an energy wave at three men with the slash of his sword. Mike and Kevin ran in front of Jayden, taking the attack with their SpinSwords. But it overwhelmed them, the attack exploding on them, sending flying backwards from the Red Ranger. “Mike! Kevin!” Emily shouted, running towards them.

The Red Ranger clenched his jaw angrily and ran towards the Nighlok. 

“Super SpinSword!” Jayden yelled out, spinning the disk on his SpinSword. A fiery blaze covered his blade as he shot towards the Master of all Nighloks. “My sister couldn’t seal you! But I can still destroy you!” 

Xandred slashed at Jayden, who jumped in the air, avoiding his attack. He landed on the ground, rolling to his feet, just in time to block Xandred’s slash. He pushed off Xandred’s Broadsword and wielded his sword around, stabbing Xandred in the white spot on his chest. The Nighlok bellowed in agony, making the Rangers cheer from the sidelines.

Maria was healing Kevin and Mike’s injuries, both of them being helped to their feet by their respective girlfriends. 

“I knew this would be your weak spot!” Jayden commented, pushing his blade further into Xandred’s chest. 

Xandred glared at the Red Ranger, jaw clenched and grabbed the fiery blade with his hand. “I see. Not a bad strategy Red Ranger.”

The flames suddenly were quenched from Jayden’s blade, making the Red Ranger’s eyes widen. “But you won't be able to defeat me that easily!”

Xandred grabbed the SpinSword’s blade, swinging Jayden over his shoulder. The Red Ranger yelled out in alarm, slamming into the ground.

“Jayden!” Antonio shouted, running towards his friend. Maria removed her hands from Kevin and Mike’s shoulder’s running towards the Red Ranger. 

“Are you okay?” Antonio asked the Red Ranger, helping him to his feet. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Jayden stated, gritting his teeth as he stood. 

Kevin swallowed, feeling sweat streaming down the side of his face. “It’s impossible that he’s still standing!”

“You thought it would be that easy to defeat me?!” Xandred snarled, glaring at the Rangers in front of him. “That you could destroy me?!” 

“This isn’t over, Xandred!” Jayden snarled, wielding his sword in front of him. Suddenly red lightning crackled around the Black Box and it opened, spitting out a broken red disk. 

“The Shiba Fire Disk!” 

Xandred roared in laughter, pointing his blade at the Rangers. “Your one chance at victory now lies shattered on the ground!” He placed his hand on his mouth before raising his hand towards the Rangers. “Nether Wind!” 

A gust of wind pushed the Rangers back, the wind slashing their suits. The four Rangers that were in the front, screamed out being pushed back violently. Maria, Kevin and Mike who were behind, covered their faces from the wind, their feet slowly dragging them backwards. 

“It’s so strong!” Mike yelled out. 

“I can’t grab the others!” Kevin declared. 

“Flames of the Netherworld!” Xandred yelled, raising his hand once more. Flames shot towards them, mixing with the winds that Xandred threw at them earlier. The Rangers screamed out in agony, as an explosion surrounded them, their suits disappearing from the impact. 

They landed on the ground painfully, while Xandred cackled at the Rangers. “Well, I’m waiting?” Xandred mocked them. “Beg me to spare you! You worthless scum!” 

The Red Ranger slowly rose from the ground, his arms wobbling and declared, “No matter what you do to us, we’ll never bow to you!” 

“Even now, your spirit can’t be broken,” Xandred declared, approaching the Rangers. “Perhaps you lack proper incentive. If you won’t beg for mercy, then I’ll just have to kill you or the other Red Ranger.” 

“No, you wouldn’t!” Jayden gasped out, his green eyes wide. “Watch me,” Xandred stated pointing his blade at the Red Ranger. 

The Red Ranger clenched his jaw tightly and got on wobbly feet. His fingers clenched around the SpinSword, ready to fight. 

“Jayden!” Antonio began in concern, struggling to get off the ground. 

Maria could see the effort the Red Ranger was putting on his body. She could see how he was shaking as he lifted his sword in defense. 

“Jayden, no!” Kevin gasped beside her. The Blue Ranger got to his feet, his brown eyes flashing in worry. 

The Purple Ranger clenched her jaw and crawled to her feet. “Protect him all at costs right?” Maria told the Blue Ranger, who nodded. “Let’s do it.” Maria extended her hand at the Blue Ranger, who took her hand. “Hold on!” 

The Purple Ranger summoned her SpinSword, the Blue Ranger following. Maria focused on the Nighlok, who was swinging his Broadsword at the Red Ranger. Both Rangers shot forward, a purple lightning streak heading towards Xandred. 

The Nighlok brought down his blade but Maria swung Kevin around, throwing him towards the Nighlok, who blocked the attack. Kevin pushed the Nighlok back as Maria landed on the ground, skidding the ground. Suddenly she heard a twinkle, making her breath get stuck in her throat. 

“Lightning Extension.” 

Maria spun around, just in time to heard Antonio scream, “Jayden!” She heard the sickening crunch along with the spill of blood splashing the ground. 

A blade was going through the Red Ranger’s chest, Jayden’s eyes wide in shock. 

Jayden didn’t know what happened, only feeling the cool blade go through his body. He felt weakness enter his body, his hand letting go of his SpinSword before collapsing to his knees. He breathed heavily, glancing at the sword that was going through his chest and weakly grabbed it. 

The Red Ranger glanced at the Purple Ranger in front of him, who was staring at him in equal shock. Maria took a step back before seeing the extended blade lead up to a raven haired woman. “Whoops,” the woman declared, laughing, returning her blade to normal. 

Jayden collapsed into the ground, unmoving. 

“No!” Maria shouted, running towards the Red Ranger. She skidded the ground, grabbing the Red Ranger, who was struggling to breathe. “Hold on!” She ripped part of her skirt, hoping she could stop the bleeding while healing him. She heard two pairs of footsteps stop near her and she turned to find Emily and Antonio beside her. 

Mike, Mia and Kevin had gone off the keep Xandred of them while they tried to save Jayden. “Hold on buddy!” Antonio stated, taking him in his arms. 

Jayden tried to speak, but blood filled his mouth, dripping down the sides of his lips. His eyes glanced at the Gold Ranger, fear echoing in his green eyes. “He’s losing too much blood!” Maria commented, pouring her symbol power to the Red Ranger. 

Emily noticed the woman who injured Jayden looking at them and her eyes went wide.  _ That looks like…. _

“Jay! Please hang on!” Antonio cried out, tears beginning to form in his brown eyes. He could see the life fading from his best friend’s eyes, how he grew limper by the second. Jayden’s breath was getting slower, his green eyes beginning to glaze over. 

Maria could feel the life force of the Red Ranger fading away. 

“It’s no use in healing him,” the woman told the Rangers. “He’s done for. I severed enough blood vessels for him not to survive.” 

The Red Ranger looked at the Purple Ranger. He tried to speak but only spat out blood. Maria glanced at him, seeing he was mouthing something to her and her eyes grew wide. Antonio saw what he was saying and he glanced at Maria, his eyes beginning to shed a few tears. 

“He has to live,” Emily whispered, tears streaming down her face. She was shaking in terror, seeing her leader so weak and vulnerable. “He has to. He has to!” 

“Don’t bring your hopes up,” the woman replied with a smirk. 

“Maria…” Antonio began, watching as Jayden’s eyes began to close. 

“I’m trying! I-I,” Maria cried out, her hands shaking as she could feel Jayden’s warmth fading away. His Ranger aura was almost extinguished before they heard a soft breath. 

The Purple Ranger’s eyes went wide in horror, seeing Jayden so still in Antonio’s arms. “No..” 

Antonio shook his head, gently shaking the Red Ranger. “No. No, no, no….please...no.” 

The Purple Ranger felt tears stinging her eyes and she clenched her bloodied hands tightly. 

“Jayden…” Antonio whispered, hugging his best friend tightly. “Jayden!” 

Emily covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Lauren meanwhile was in the training room, writing a Symbol as she created another Shiba Disk. 

Mentor Ji was watching her, worry gnawing at his bones. “Why are you doing this?” he asked her, seeing how much she was struggling and sweating. She was using every ounce of Symbol Power left in her trying to create another disk to aid the Rangers. 

“I’m fine,” Lauren stated, through gritted teeth. In reality she felt like a truck had run her over, but that wouldn’t stop her from creating another disk. “Jayden risks his life every day to protect the world. They need another disk.” Lauren painfully wrote another stroke. “I owe it to him to give every ounce of my sealing power.” She finished the Fire Symbol, which let out a soft white glow. “It may be their only hope.” 

“Shiba Fire!” Lauren shouted, the symbol flying towards the red disk in front of her. A red glow enveloped the disk, various fire symbols appearing around it. “It worked,” Lauren smiled, panting before she started to sway. Mentor Ji caught her before she fell to the floor. “Lauren!” 

Lauren looked at Mentor Ji and stated, “Take the disk to my brother. Tell him I gave him everything I had left.” Mentor Ji quickly and gently helped Lauren sit on one of the chairs, glancing at the disk. Lauren looked at Mentor Ji and stated, “But the power can be only be used once.” 

“Please, g-” Lauren’s eyes suddenly widened. 

Mentor Ji saw how pale she went and kneeled in front of her. “What’s wrong?” 

“Something’s off,” Lauren stated, sensing a terrible sensation dancing around her. “Someone’s Ranger aura disappeared. Someone’s dead….” 

Mentor Ji’s eyes widened and turned back to the Shiba Disk.

* * *

The other Rangers that were fighting off Xandred stopped, turning to the others. 

“Jayden…” Mia whispered, taking a step back in horror. “No…!” Kevin gasped out, his grip on his SpinSword tightening. 

Xandred scoffed at that and jumped back, making the three Rangers glare at him. “Seems that with the Red Ranger down, you’re no threat to me.”

“No, we’re are even bigger threat now,” Kevin declared, his brown eyes blazing in anger. The Green and Pink Rangers narrowed their eyes at the Nighlok, wielding their swords in front of them. “Then your loss,” Xandred declared, getting in a fighting stance. 

The woman laughed at the Gold, Yellow and Purple Ranger’s despair and stated, “I don’t know why you shed tears. He was bound to die anyways.” 

“Why did you do this?!” Emily questioned, glancing at the woman. “Why did you kill him?!” 

“He was the last hope you Rangers had to defeat Xandred,” the woman declared. “I want to set everything like the timeline was originally supposed to be.” 

Maria clenched her jaw angrily, lightning crackling around her. She got to her feet, her hazel eyes burning in fury. “I’m tired of you meddling in what I’m trying to fix, Lilith Abukara. How dare you kill the Red Ranger!” 

“It’s not like I haven’t done it before,” Lilith answered with a smirk. 

“You declared you were going to kill me, not him!” Maria snarled, taking a few steps towards the other Purple Ranger. Her SpinSword manifested in her hand, her blade glowing purple. 

“Sorry sweetie,” Lilith cackled. “But I couldn’t resist making you suffer in seeing your last hope die. Xandred here did want to make you suffer. Without the Red Ranger, you all are  _ nothing _ .” 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Lilith,” Maria proclaimed. “Despite the fall of the Red Ranger, the Rangers will keep going. They will destroy the Nighlok and you will lose!” 

“Will I?” Lilith replied, narrowing her eyes. “I think I’m making things better. After all, a mother knows what’s best for their child.” 

Antonio and Emily’s eyes widened at her declaration while Maria stepped back. 

“What?” Emily whispered, covering her mouth. 

“That’s right Rangers,” Lilith grinned. “I’m Maria’s dear old mother.” 


	63. End of the Line

The Rangers were in complete shock at Lilith’s declaration. 

“Your mother?” Antonio whispered, glancing at Maria, who was staring at her horrified.

“Oh, spoilers!” Lilith giggled, covering her mouth.

“How…” Emily began but Maria glanced at Lilith, curling her lips in anger. 

“I assumed you were my mother, when you declared that you’ve seen me from birth to today,” Maria replied. “Now it makes sense why the monks and everyone in my timeline taught you where dead. You escaped to this timeline.” 

“Yes, I did,” Lilith nodded. “When I gave birth to you and left you in the Tengen Gate, I told the monks that I was going to commit sanpaku to cleanse my sins. They assumed me dead and I stayed in our timeline for a while till the end of the world.” 

Maria clenched her fists angrily. 

“Why did you leave me there, like I was nothing?” Maria told her. “Like I was some kind of accessory.” 

“You were in the way of my plan,” Lilith declared. “And you were never an accessory, my sweet child. You were always a weapon for me to wield.” 

“A weapon?” Antonio murmured. 

“Yes, a weapon,” Lilith echoed. “When the end of the world neared in our timeline, I waited for Maria to open the Time Portal and that’s when my plans began.” 

“You manipulated the end of the world in our timeline,” Maria bristled. “So I could open a portal to this timeline.” 

“You are smart,” Lilith grinned. “You must get it from me.” 

“Why did you do that?” Emily asked, shaking her head. “Why let our future selves die? What do you gain?” 

“Power,” Lilith coldly proclaimed. “Power to destroy everything and create a new world in my image.” 

“You’re insane,” Maria declared. “No Purple Samurai Ranger could have the power to do that.” 

“Yes, only one,” Lilith replied. “Akiko Abukara. Her prophecy will come true and her power will be bestowed on me. I will then create a new world, with no Nighlok, no Shiba Clan and no paladins! It will be a perfect world!” 

“Even in a perfect world there will be evil!” Emily declared.

“No,” Lilith shook her head, glancing at Emily. “There is evil because of heroes like you. If you heroes didn’t exist, there wouldn’t be villains. You Rangers shaped me into this, no your parents shaped me into this. The Samurai Rangers have always treated me like trash, always rejecting my help!” 

Lilith cackled lowly before declaring, “Yes! I will take pleasure in watching you Rangers fall, especially the Shiba Clan! I remember the time Jayden’s father survived in one of these three time loops. Such a brave soul, he was. He managed to seal Master Xandred away and lived. He survived the order and was crawling back to the Shiba House when I bumped into him. He pleaded me to save him!” 

Lilith covered her mouth, laughing darkly. 

“But instead of helping that poor bastard, I drove a sword through his throat, killing him.” 

The three Rangers gasped out, Maria’s eyes widening in horror. 

Suddenly Kevin’s scream of pain, made the Rangers turn to the others. The Blue Ranger staggered to his hands and knees, his back sliced open from Xandred’s attack. 

“Kevin!” Emily gasped, her eyes widening. 

“You two should help them,” Maria told the Rangers. “I’ll deal with Lilith.” Emily nodded, getting to her feet and ran towards the other Rangers. 

Maria glanced at the Red Ranger that lay dead in Antonio’s arms and she clenched her jaw, tears stinging her eyes. 

Once more she had failed.

The Purple Ranger glanced at her mother, who was smiling at her. “I don’t care what you are. But you’re no mother of mine.” Maria wielded her SpinSword beside her and stated, “I won’t let you hurt the Rangers further! I’m going to destroy you!” She shot forward making Lilith smirk as she unsheathed sword, blocking Maria’s blade. 

“Attacking your own mother? That’s sinful,” Lilith snarked, kicking Maria away.

* * *

Antonio watched his friends fighting off Moogers and Master Xandred. He clenched his teeth before looking at his best friend dead in his arms. Antonio placed Jayden gently on the ground and whispered, “I’m going to defeat the Nighlok for you, friend.”

The Gold Ranger got to his feet, summoning his Barracuda Blade and was about to sped towards the Nighlok when he saw the spray of red crimson blood splash the air. His brown eyes went wide in horror, watching as the Pink Ranger collapsed into the ground, receiving a fatal blow meant for Kevin. 

“Mia!” Kevin screeched, kicking a Mooger away and caught the Pink Ranger in his arms. “Mia! No! Please! Hang on!” 

“Mia!” Emily screamed out, her eyes wide in fear. She felt her breath get stuck in her throat when she felt a presence behind her. She spun around to find Xandred’s Broadsword heading towards her. “Emily watch out!” Mike shouted, pushing her out of the way. 

Emily slammed the ground, turning around to watch Xandred cutting Mike diagonally from shoulder to hip. “Mike!” Emily shrieked, watching the Green Ranger fall to the ground. His blood quickly pooled around him as she rushed to his side. “Mike! No! Please, don’t leave me!” 

Maria heard the Rangers screaming and she pushed off Lilith’s blade, flipping backwards. She turned around, seeing Mike and Mia on the ground dead. 

“No!” 

Xandred walked towards the Yellow Ranger, raising his Broadsword at Emily. “Don’t worry, Yellow Ranger. You’ll be joining him soon!” Emily turned around to face the Nighlok, tears streaming down his face. 

Maria shot forward, her SpinSword extended to block the Nighlok’s attack from Emily. The Purple Samurai appeared in front of the Yellow Ranger, blocking Xandred’s deadly attack. Her SpinSword cracked from the impact and Maria struggled to keep the Nighlok off her. “Run!” Maria told the Yellow Ranger. Emily got to her feet, only for them both to receive a sword through the back from Lilith. 

Both female Rangers screamed out in agony, collapsing to one knee. She felt Xandred press against her lade, while Lilith deepened her sword in her back. “Stupid move, daughter,” Lilith told her. “Don’t you think I move as fast as you?”

“Emily,” Maria gasped out, seeing Emily leaning against her. 

“Emily! Maria!” Antonio yelled out, rushing towards her but Maria yelled at him. “Don’t get near us!” The Gold Ranger skidded the ground, shock evident in his eyes. 

“This could’ve been avoided if you left the timeline how it was supposed to be!” Lilith seethed. “Now look what you’ve done! Almost all the Rangers are dead!” 

“You’re wrong!” Maria spat, glaring at her mother over her shoulder. “This is what I’ve been trying to avoid!” 

Suddenly the ground rumbled under their feet, throwing Xandred and Lilith off balance. The Nighlok staggered back while Lilith pulled her sword out of both Rangers, jumping back. Maria and Emily let out an anguished yell, both collapsing on the ground. Emily’s Samuraizer clattered the ground, making the Purple Ranger look at the Yellow Ranger. “

Emily,” Maria coughed, crawling towards the Yellow Ranger. She placed her hands on Emily’s chest, hoping to heal her but she grabbed her hands. “No, it’s fine,” Emily whispered, looking at Maria. “At least, I’ll be with Mike. You, you need to….defeat them… please.” Maria looked at Emily wide eyed as Emily smiled at her, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Promise me?” 

Maria felt her eyes water and she squeezed Emily’s hand tightly, nodding. “I promise.” The Purple Ranger looked at the Yellow Ranger, whose eyes were closed. Maria lowered Emily’s hands to her chest and placed her hands on the ground. She grabbed a fist full of dirt, anger coursing through her body. 

“Well, I guess the second time's a charm,” Lilith commented, approaching the dead Yellow Ranger. Maria raised to her feet and glared at Lilith, throwing the dirt into Lilith’s face, blinding her. Lilith screeched, clawing at her eyes while Maria summoned her SpinSword in her hand, slashing at the other Purple Ranger. 

Blood spilled the ground as Lilith held her injured chest and took a few steps back. “You little-!” Lilith snarled, glancing around with her eyes closed. “This is meant to be! For the Rangers to fall!” 

“No, the Rangers are to succeed!” Maria declared, spinning around, converting her SpinSword into her Lightning Kamas. She swung her kama around Lilith, slashing at her mother, who grunted in pain. “They’re the heroes of this world! The world isn’t to be turned in to the Nighloks!” 

Lilith felt the breeze of one of the kamas heading towards her and grabbed it mid air. She violently jerked Maria into her, catching the latter by surprise, only for her to stab her with her sword once more. Maria coughed up blood, her hands tightly clenching her kamas. 

“It seems the monks didn’t teach you to respect your mother, insolent fool,” Lilith coldly declared. “Do you really think I would let this world be overrun by Nighloks?!” 

“You’re so naive!” 

Maria slowly glanced at her mother, whose purple eyes were glaring at her daughter. “You’re right, I am naive.” She swung her kamas in the air, ignoring the agonizing blade tearing her stomach and slashed her mother’s shoulders. “Lightning Blast!” 

Lilith felt both her arms stiffen immediately as Maria paralyzed them with her attack. She screeched in pain and staggered back, both of her arms hanging uselessly. Maria staggered back, the blade still in her stomach and grabbed the blade, pulling it out. She cried out in pain, throwing the sword into the ground, noticing that she was healing slower. 

“Do you think disabling my arm would do you any good?” Lilith declared. “I still won! I’m going to be the one to rule the world, once I get bestowed the Purple Samurai’s prophecy! I will create a new world! I will have the power of a  _ time god! _ ” 

“You’re no God!” Maria spat, coughing up blood. 

“You’re wrong!” Lilith shouted. “Once Xandred has laid waste to this land, I will become the new God!"  The present Purple Ranger staggered forward, walking towards Maria. “You're in the way, Maria Abukara!" 

"You ruined the lives of _billions_!” Maria cried out. “Of the Rangers! Of my friends! Mine! For what?! For a children's tale?” 

"It is no children's tale! I will become God!" Lililth yelled out maniacally. 

Maria couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own mother destroyed the timeline, she was trying to save. Lilith had killed her friends.

_ "Things happen for a reason." Maria's eyes went wide and whipped around to glare at Jayden. "Nothing good happens to us. We always end up losing!" she lashed out. _

Maria remembered Antonio dying in her arms in the future. How Mia fell into the Sanzu River, drowning and turning Half-Nighlok. How she found Kevin and Ji’s bodies buried underneath the rubbles of the Shiba House. Mike’s suffering as he became more Nighlok as time passed by. Emily’s agonizing scream as Xandred sliced her in half in a brutal death. Future Jayden’s pleas, telling her to go back into the past to save the Rangers. 

_ Why? Why does this always happen? _

Now, in the present, her friends lay dead around her once more. 

Maria heard a pained yell and turned around to find Antonio collapsing into the ground, gravely injured.  _ Antonio! _

“NO!” came a shout. 

Mentor Ji was standing in the middle of the battlefield, his brown eyes wide in horror. He shook his head, seeing the Rangers dead and looked at the two remaining Rangers. 

_ You can’t let these Rangers suffer once more _ . 

“You’re the only one standing,” Lilith cackled, watching as Ji neared the Gold Ranger. “What are you going to do?” 

Maria turned to the Gold Ranger, seeing his horrified face. Both stared at each other and Maria felt tears well up in her eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek and she turned back to Lilith.  “What I was meant to do.” She rose to her feet and limped towards the Gold Ranger, kneeling in front of him. She looked at him, seeing the same face Future Jayden had showed her before he died: eyes filled with lost hope and despair. 

_ Go! You must go save the past! _

Antonio extended his hand towards her, tears forming in his brown eyes. 

_ We will not let your future come true. We will fight! We will change our destiny! Rangers Together! Samurai Forever! _

Maria took his hand and he looked at her sadly. “It’s no use. We’re going to die. Everyone’s dead! We can’t fight them alone!” Mentor Ji glanced at the Purple Ranger and stated, “I’m too late. I…” He took out an item from his robes and showed it to the two Rangers. 

A disk. 

And not any disk, but the very Shiba Clan Fire Disk. 

_ Lauren. _

“Lauren believed you Rangers could defeat Xandred,” Mentor Ji declared. “But…” He looked away, his eyes falling on Jayden’s body a few feet away from them. 

“We failed,” Antonio weakly whispered. “Jayden’s dead and the rest of the team….” 

Maria looked at the Gold Ranger and stated, “No. The team will defeat Xandred.” 

Antonio and Ji looked at her confused before Maria leaned forward, taking Antonio’s face and kissed him deeply. Antonio returned the kiss, confused before Maria broke it, smiling at him. “You are going to defeat Xandred. All of you.” The Gold Ranger was puzzled at her response and she pressed her bloodied forehead against his, whispering, “Remember, I will always love you.” 

Maria rose to her feet and turned away from the Gold Ranger. She gripped the Shiba Clan Fire Disk tightly in her hands and approached Lilith. 

_ I need your help, _ Rangers.

Suddenly, the faint figures of her fallen comrades appeared before her. The five fallen rangers stood beside her, all wearing white kimonos. Mia, Emily and Mike stood to her left while Kevin and Jayden stood to her right. 

_ Give me strength. _

The Rangers stared at her and Jayden placed his hand on her shoulder. _We will always be with you._

“You think you won this,” Maria declared as she approached her mother. “But you’re wrong.” 

Lilith looked at her confused. 

“The Rangers will be the winners in this game,” Maria continued. “Today, it will be the end of the line for us.”  She summoned her Samuraizer and started to write a symbol in the air. 

Lilith’s eyes went open, shaking her head. “That’s…!” 

"My trump card. My endgame," Maria replied, her Samuraizer trembled from the overload of power. "This time, I'm going to be the one to end it all. All this time, I was afraid of this outcome, but maybe it's time to accept my fate. My fate was not a happy ending with the Rangers, but the one to push them forward. To save them! To push them beyond!" 

“You’re a fool!” Lilith pointed out. “If you change their fates! You will suffer the consequences!” 

"No mother, you're the fool," Maria declared. "But there is one thing you're right about. The Rangers don't need a Purple Samurai Ranger." She glanced at the Symbol she was painting in front of her, knowing that once she took  _ that  _ step, it was over.

Her mind flittered to a distant memory.

_ Lauren was sitting in the garden, watching the petals of the Sakura Tree drift in the wind. "My lightning princess, I saw you in a vision today."  _

She had to revive the Rangers and they had to defeat the Nighlok.

_ Maria sat beside her on the bench and glanced at the fire princess. "What was it, Lauren?"  _

She had to break the rules. 

_ The blonde haired woman turned to her, giving her a sad smile. "I saw you. I saw you become a true Purple Samurai. A grandiose warrior. A powerful ranger." _

Maria's Samuraizer began to crack in her hands. 

_ Maria stared at her and glanced at the Sakura petals, grasping one of them before it touched the ground. "Really? How bizarre? I am not powerful, Lauren."  _

Maria could feel her Symbol Power draining from her body, blood slipping out of her nose. 

_ Lauren looked at Maria with saddened eyes. "Maria, in the future you'll become powerful. You will be willing to sacrifice everything for your friends."  _

Lilith clenched her jaw and summoned her SpinSword. 

_ "You know I'll do anything to protect my family," Maria replied, glancing at Lauren. She caught sight of tears streaming down the Red Ranger's face and she grasped her hands in alarm. _

The Symbol Power intensified tenfold, causing Lilith to take a step back. 

_ "Why did you learn that technique?" Lauren whispered.  _

Maria finished the last stroke of her Symbol.

_ Maria glanced at the petals drifting in the wind. "I thought it would be useful one day."  _

She knew that once she casted the Symbol, she was going to cease to exist and all the memories she had gained with the Rangers would disappear.

_ "There's a reason those techniques are forbidden!" Lauren shouted. "It contains the Ranger's most powerful and deadliest Symbol Powers!" _

She felt an eerie calm enter her body, knowing she was going to die. 

_ "I know what it does," Maria commented. "It's the Purple Ranger's most powerful Symbol Power. It drains the user of their life force."  _

She didn't care. 

_ Lauren shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "This Symbol you learned...! This Symbol!" She grasped Maria's hands into her's. "Promise me! Promise me you'll never use it!"  _

"Symbol Power! Temporal Rewind!" Maria shouted, casting the Symbol. 

A purple glow lit up the battle field and a pulse of energy swept through the area.  A large wind picked around the area, causing Ji and Antonio to cover their faces. Lightning cracked around the two Purple Rangers, making Lilith screech. “What have you done?!"

Maria summoned her SpinSword and attached the Shiba Clan Fire Disk, spinning it. She wielded the flaming SpinSword in her right hand, making everyone glance at her in shock. “Shiba Clan Fire Disk!” She stared at her mother and yelled, "You want to become God so bad?" 

“No!” Lilith screeched as Maria shot forward. 

Lilith didn't have time to dodge. Maria appeared behind her, her back touching her mother's. 

"Let's die to find out!" she hissed. 

Without warning, Maria drove the sword in her chest, the blade impaling her mother from behind. 

Lilith screeched as lightning and fire surrounded both Purple Rangers. 

"NO!" Antonio shouted, his hand extended towards them. He watched through tearful brown eyes as the two Rangers collapsed to their knees. 

The energy pulsed again, sending Mentor Ji and Antonio to the floor. The Gold Ranger forced his eyes to open, watching the Temporal Rewind Symbol envelope the area in a bright light.

_ You broke my promise….Maria.  _


	64. Samurai Forever

Antonio opened his eyes, noticing the red, crimson sky. He glanced around disoriented, confused why he was laid on the ground. 

“I think he’s waking up,” whispered a voice.

“Give him some breathing space,” whispered another voice. 

The Gold Ranger blinked a couple of times, seeing the Rangers looking at him in concern. 

“Are you okay?” Kevin asked, his brown furrowed in concern. 

Antonio glanced at them in shock, not believing his eyes. “You’re all alive,” he whispered. “How?” He quickly sat up, causing a bout of dizziness and touched his head. 

Jayden furrowed his brow before turning to Kevin, nodding. “You were right. We were dead.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes and looked at the Gold Ranger. “What happened?”

"I don't know," Antonio murmured. _How was this possible? How were they alive?_

“The last thing I remember is Lilith stabbing me in the chest," Jayden explained, touching his chest. 

“I got killed by Xandred, trying to save Emily,” Mike added. 

"We both died by Xandred," Kevin stated, glancing at Emily who nodded. 

"I died protecting Kevin," Mia noted. "How are we alive?"

The Gold Ranger glanced at his friends, noticing that someone was missing from their group. He stood up to his feet, prompting the others to do the same. His heart dropped when he caught sight of a SpinSword blade down on the ground. Two purple ribbons were tied around the handle. 

“No,” Antonio gasped, his eyes widening. He neared the blade and fell to his knees, staring at the SpinSword in front of him.  _ Maria...no! What did you do? _

The Rangers crowded around him, confused why the Gold Ranger was kneeling in front of the SpinSword. 

“Is that…” Emily began, her eyes growing wide.

“It’s Maria’s SpinSword…” Jayden declared, his eyes widening. 

“What happened? Where is Maria?” Mia asked confused. 

“I don’t know,” Antonio whispered. “I-I, the last thing I saw is that she...." He covered his mouth, remembering how she had drove her sword in her chest, stabbing herself and Lilith. "She attacked Lilith and threw a Symbol." 

"Maria threw a Forbidden Symbol," declared a familiar voice. 

The Rangers turned to find Ji walking towards them, a grim look on his face. “Mentor!” Kevin stated in surprised.

“Forbidden Symbol?” Mike echoed confused. 

“In the Tengen Gate, there’s a Forbidden Library that holds the most dark and fatal symbols a Samurai Ranger can make,” Mentor Ji answered. “They’re extremely powerful, but can easily kill the user.” 

“So...Maria’s….” Emily began, covering her mouth in horror. 

“I’m afraid so,” Mentor Ji nodded. 

Emily buried her face into Mike’s shoulder, who embraced her tightly. Mia shook her head and hugged Kevin, while Jayden clenched his fists tightly.

Antonio couldn’t believe his ears. The Symbol Maria had thrown had saved the Rangers, but she had died in the process. She known it would be that way and that's why she had kissed him, saying she loved him.  _ No _ . The Gold Ranger rose to his feet and grabbed the handle tightly, removing it from the ground. 

“I refuse.” 

The Rangers and Ji looked at the Gold Ranger, who had the SpinSword in his hand. “Maria can’t be dead.” 

“Mentor said that the Symbol she threw was a fatal one,” Emily began. “But there’s no evidence she died,” Antonio told them, turning to face the Rangers. “She vanished into the portal along with Lilith. There’s a chance she might be alive! If she is, we’ll save her.” 

“If she’s dead?” Kevin asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“Then, she cared for us enough, that we were worth her life,” Antonio answered, gripping the SpinSword tightly in his hand. “She has hope we will save the city.” 

“He’s right,” Jayden replied, glancing at the Rangers. “We shouldn’t let Maria’s sacrifice be in vain.” The Rangers nodded in determination. “Let’s defeat Master X for Maria and Panoroma City,” Mike smirked. 

“Then before you leave, this is for you,” Mentor Ji told them, taking out something from his robes. He handed Jayden a red disk, surprising the Red Ranger. Jayden took the disk from Mentor Ji’s hands and stated, “Another Shiba Fire Disk? How could she….” 

Mentor Ji sighed, “It took everything she had, but I’m afraid it can only be used one time.” 

Jayden glanced at the disk in his hands and murmured, “One time, huh?” He looked at Mentor Ji and nodded, “I’ll make sure not to waste it.” 

Ji nodded in reply before taking out another disk. “What’s this?” Jayden asked, taking the offered disk into his hands. 

Mentor Ji looked at the Red Ranger and declared, “This disk belonged to your father before his last battle. He asked me to save it for a moment like this. Use it to double your power.”

Jayden looked at him, determination glowing in his green eyes. “Everything rides on this last battle.” 

Mentor Ji slowly nodded. “I have faith in all of you.”

* * *

In Panorama City, destruction and chaos ensued the whole city. Building were collapsing and the roads ran crimson red with the waters of the Sanzu River water. People that were still alive and managed to escape, fled the city in full fledged panic, hoping to escape the monsters that chased them. 

In the middle of the chaotic city was Master Xandred, leading a large army of Moogers. “Destroy everything in sight!” Xandred commanded his Moogers. “Leave no human alive!” The Moogers shouted in response, marching down the city, following their masters orders. 

“Xandred!” came a shout. 

The Master of all Nighlok’s turned around to find the Rangers behind him, ready for battle. The Rangers were still badly injured and weren’t even morphed making Xandred scoff. “I thought I told you pathetic pests to wait!”

“Sorry, but we became impatient,” Mike mocked, wielding his SpinSword in front of him. Jayden narrowed his eyes at the Nighlok and declared, “You will fall and this world will be protected!” 

“Rangers together! Samurai Forever!” 

Xandred roared in laughter and declared, “Fools! Forever is shorter than you think!” He raised his hand, pointing at the Rangers. “Attack!” 

Dozens of Moogers shot towards the Rangers, roaring in anger. The Rangers let out a battle cry, running towards the Moogers, swords in hand. 

* * *

Mentor Ji arrived back the at Shiba House, parking his motorcycle and removed his helmet. He got off the motorcycle and headed towards the house, tossing his helmet at the entrance. “How did it go? How are the Rangers?” Serena immediately asked, running towards him. “They’re...fine,” Ji began, walking towards the kitchen. 

The White Ranger looked puzzled for a minute and followed him. “That doesn’t sound fine,” Serena replied. “What happened?” Mentor Ji grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured some tea that Serena had made earlier. “Lauren...predicted that someone had died,” Mentor Ji began, looking at his reflection in the cup.

“Who died?” Serena replied, her eyes growing wide and anxious. 

“Maria,” Mentor Ji declared, making Serena take in a sharp breath.

“What? How did she…” Serena spluttered, not believing her ears. 

“She did the Temporal Rewind didn’t she?” came a quiet voice.

The two of them turned to find Lauren standing in the kitchen entrance, fear in her green eyes. 

Mentor Ji couldn’t look her in the eye and slowly nodded. 

Lauren glanced away, a few tears stinging her eyes.

* * *

The Rangers had finished off the Moogers and morphed into their Ranger suits, ready to fight Xandred. 

“Rangers, you will fall!” Xandred declared, glaring at them. He raised a hand, throwing flames of the Netherworld at them. The five Rangers blocked the attack, running through the smoke towards the Master of all Nighlok’s. 

“What?!” Xandred exclaimed in shock. 

Jayden flipped over Xandred, landing his blade on the Nighlok’s back. The Pink Ranger and Blue Ranger followed after him, slashing him on the sides . Xandred roared in agony, summoning his Broadsword and swung at the Rangers. He blocked Emily and Mike’s attacks, sending them flying towards the ground. Antonio swung Maria’s SpinSword and his Barracuda Blade together, only for Xandred to throw him to the side. They quickly got up, shooting forward once again. The Rangers and Xandred attacked and counter attacked each other. Blades slashed skin and Ranger suit, sparks flying off each other.

Xandred slashed at Kevin, throwing him into the air, making him scream out in surprise. The Rangers caught him as he fell, softening his blow. “I’ve had enough of these games!” Xandred shouted, breathing in and roared at the Rangers. 

The Rangers shouted in alarm, diving to the sides to avoid the deadly attack. Antonio, Mia and Mike rolled to their feet, taking out their Samuraizer’s. “Symbol Power! Capture!” the three shouted, writing symbols in the air. 

On the other side, Kevin and Emily casted the same symbol throwing it towards Xandred. 

The Nighlok tried to block the symbols heading towards him but they swirled around each other, tying the Nighlok up. “You think your power symbols can hold me down?!” Xandred shouted at them. 

Jayden scoffed and converted his SpinSword into his Fire Smasher, attaching the disk Ji had giving him earlier. “Double Disk! Fire Smasher Dual Mode!” he shouted, another Fire Smasher appearing in his other hand. The Red Ranger let out a battle cry, running towards the tied up Nighlok in front of him. 

Jayden spun around, slashing at Xandred with one Fire Smasher before hitting him with the other. Xandred roared, the slash causing him to erupt in fire, lightning coming off the Nighlok. Jayden yelled, landing both Fire Smashers in a vertical line, slicing Xandred on both sides of his body. He wielded both of his weapons in front of him before stabbing the Master of all Nighloks right in the chest.

Xandred roared out in agony, both Fire Smashers stabbing him deep in his chest. He glared at the Red Ranger before him, who was glaring at him back in anger. “Just kidding,” Xandred cackled, grabbing the two weapons from his chest and roared at the Red Ranger. 

Jayden yelled out in surprise, the roar throwing him on the ground, making him skid the ground. His father’s disk broke in half, clattering the ground. “No way!” 

The other Rangers took the chance that Xandred was distracted and interlocked the Nighlok with their SpinSwords. “You aren’t going nowhere!” Mike snarled, glaring at Xandred. 

From a top of a collapsed building, Kevin attached the Shiba Fire Disk to his SpinSword. He spun the disk around, flames covering his SpinSword blade. “Shiba Clan Fire Disk!” The Blue Ranger jumped down, shooting forward, swinging the sword to his side. 

“Unhand me!” Xandred snarled, trying to remove the Rangers from him. 

“As you wish,” Mia smirked as the Rangers jumped back, just as Kevin swung his blade at Xandred. “Blazing Strike!” Xandred roared in agony, the blade slicing him diagonally, sending him flying back. The Master of all Nighloks fell to one knee, grabbing his chest in pain. “Finish him off Jayden!” Kevin declared. 

“With pleasure,” Jayden declared, taking out a black disk with fire symbols. He attached it to his SpinSword, spinning it around as flames covered his body. “Shogun Mode! Power of the ancestors!” His Shogun armor appeared around him and the Red Ranger wielded his sword in front of him. 

“What is this?” Xandred exclaimed, taking a step back. 

“It’s the end of the line for you,” Jayden proclaimed. He let out a battle cry, running towards the Nighlok, making him scoff angrily. “Why you!” Xandred snarled, swinging his Broadsword in front of him. Jayden blocked the blade with ease, making Xandred lose grip of his sword. The Broadsword clattered the ground beside them as Jayden slashed at Xandred’s chest with burning anger. 

Xandred screamed in anguish, staggering back from the attacks before Jayden saw an opening on the white spot on his chest. “Shogun Strike!” he yelled, his blade landing on the white spot on his chest and slid his blade horizontally. 

Xandred roared as flames and lightning shot from his body, making him collapse to his knees. “No! No! This can’t be happening!” A Fire Symbol appeared in front of Xandred as he shook in pain, yelling, “You haven’t seen the last of me, Rangers! I will return!” 

The Master of all Nighloks then collapsed into the ground, exploding. 

The Rangers all felt relief and laughed. 

“We did it!” Mike shouted, hugging Emily tightly. 

“He’s gone!” Emily replied, a grin in her face. 

“I can’t believe Lauren’s disk had enough power to unlock Shogun Mode,” Kevin stated, placing a hand on Jayden’s shoulder. “Neither did I,” Jayden honestly replied, glancing at his blade. 

Suddenly the ground around them shook, causing the Rangers to glance around in horror. There was a bright red light as Xandred began to grow mega sized, towering before the Rangers. “I told you, I would return!” Xandred declared. “Now your world will end!” 

“No!” Kevin gasped out.

“Impossible!” Mia whispered, her eyes wide in horror. 

“Time for you to face my wrath!” Xandred snarled, stepping towards the Rangers. 

“No, time to face our wrath!” Jayden stated, glancing at his Rangers. “Time for one last battle.” The Rangers took out their Mega Zord disks, giving a nod at their Red Ranger. 

“We will not make Maria’s sacrifce be in vain,” Antonio added. 

“We will defeat Xandred!” Mike shouted. 

“Mega Mode Power!”

* * *

Hazel eyes slowly opened, taking in the black eternal void around her. The raven haired woman was floating in the black abyss, confusion evident in her face. 

_ Where am I? _

She could hear layered voices playing in the background and turned her head, seeing her life being played before her. 

She watched how she first met Lauren and Jayden Shiba in her original timeline, who greeted her in a warming welcome. When Lauren took her under her wing for three years, training her intensely. Lauren learned the Sealing Symbol, ready to defeat Master Xandred. She watched herself die as she sacrificed her life for the two Shiba siblings. She saw Lauren revive her with her own life force, thinking Xandred was sealed away for good. She watched Jayden take upon the mantle of the Red Ranger, leading a new team of Samurai Rangers. Antonio, his best friend on his side, battling Nighlok and Moogers. 

She watched her her Rangers fell one by one, helpless to stop it. She watched as she opened a portal by Future Jayden's request to go back in time to save the Rangers. She lost her memory, sealed away by Hideo in order to protect her. Cody and Aaron finding her and giving her the name "Tashiko". She watched how she met the Rangers again, making new memories with them. She watched Jayden turn into a Werewolf and scarred her face. Ami torturing her to no end . She observed when she regained control of herself, remembering why she was here and why she went back. 

_ Am I dead? _ Maria questioned. 

“No.” 

Maria’s hazel eyes opened, surprised to hear another voice beside her own. She turned, finding a woman with raven haired tied into a bun with purple eyes. She wore the Purple Shogun Armor. She had a gentle smile but radiated strength and power. 

"Welcome to the Time Dimension, Maria Abukara."

Maria stared at her and asked, "Who are you?" 

The woman smiled. "I am Akiko Abukara, your ancestor. The Purple Shogun." 


	65. The Return

Maria didn’t know what was happening. How was she alive? How did she get herself in the Time Dimension? What was going on? 

_ How am I not dead? _

“I know you have many questions,” Akiko began, seeing her confused gaze. “But sadly, I don’t have the answers to all.” 

“How am I alive?” Maria asked her. “I died. I used Temporal Rewind.” 

"You're alive because you are the prophesied one, Maria Abukara," Akiko answered. 

Maria stared at her. "How? I didn’t even believe the prophecy was true.” 

"It does not matter whether or not you believed in it," Akiko replied. “You were the one I saw in my vision all those centuries back. You were the warrior with the heart and soul, with the determination to save the Rangers, no matter the cost. Like me.” 

“The other Purple Rangers before you, tried hard to find the answer to my prophecy. All of them believed it was a task, but it wasn't. The answer was the selfness of giving up your life for the sake of humanity. You are the only one willing to do it." 

Maria scoffed, shaking her head. “All this time, my crazy mother thought this prophecy was eternal power. That she could rewrite the world and be rid of the Rangers.” 

"The prophecy is a power," Akiko told her, showing her a purple disk. 

Maria found the disk to look familiar as Akiko placed it in her hands. "This disk contains every power of every Purple Ranger before you, including mine. This power will help you aid the Rangers and defeat the Nighlok once and for all."

"Why was this power hidden?" Maria questioned. 

"I sealed the Shogun Power within myself. After the Samurai Clans banished us, it was too risky for a Purple Samurai Ranger to wield," Akiko explained. "This power can only be used once and sacrifices one of the Purple Samurai Ranger's power. You will either give up your Lightning Element or your Time Power. If you give up your Lightning Element, you will be forever stuck in the Time Dimension, watching over everything till the day you die. If you sacrifice your Time Power, you will never be able to access this dimension and you will lose your ability to turn back time." 

Maria glanced at the disk in her hands. "Thank you." 

Akiko smiled at her, starting to vanish. "Now fight, Maria Abukara. Fight, in the name of the Purple Samurai Rangers before you!" 

Maria watched her vanish and whispered, "I will." She closed her eyes and let the darkness consume her.

* * *

The Rangers formed the Gigazord, ready to battle Xandred. 

“Take this!” Xandred shouted, slashing the air, sending an energy wave at the Megazord. The attack exploded near the Rangers, making them scream out in surprise as the Gigazord rocked back and forth. “I hate you Rangers!” Xandred roared, approaching the Gigazord. “I’ll take you down if it’s the last thing I do!” 

Xandred raised his hand, throwing a lightning attack at the Rangers. The Gigazord was sent flying back various feet, making the Rangers yell in alarm. Lightning crackled around the Rangers as they were violently thrown around the cockpit. 

They groaned, rolling around on the ground. 

The Yellow Ranger got on shaky feet and glanced at the Rangers on the ground. “Xandred’s more powerful than ever.” 

“What do we do know?”

Mia slowly rose to her feet and grabbed into her cockpit, panting. “At this rate, we won’t last long.” 

“I’ll try to buy us some time,” Kevin declared, holding on the cockpit. “Samurai Symbol Power!” He rose his Samuraizer but Jayden stopped him. “Wait.” 

“Don’t use Symbol Power yet,” Jayden told the Blue Ranger. 

“Why not?” Kevin asked confused.

“We can’t use it on small amounts,” Jayden declared. “That’s what he wants. We’ll be drained before we finish him off.” A bright red light covered the Red Ranger as he powered down. “We’ll have to demorph and combine every last ounce of our Symbol Power into one grand strike.” 

“What?” Antonio asked, wide eyed. 

“We can only beat him as a team,” Jayden proclaimed. 

The Rangers exchanged glances before one by one, they started to demorph. “One attack, right?” Mike asked, glancing at Jayden. 

“What if we miss?” Mia replied, concern in her face.

“Then we’ll have to get so close that we can’t miss," Jayden declared. 

“We have to do it,” Emily nodded. “To save the world.” The Yellow Ranger looked at the Green Ranger, who nodded. Antonio demorphed, holding Maria’s SpinSword and his Barracuda Blade in his hands. “Sounds risky and dangerous. Let’s do it.” 

Jayden glanced at Xandred, anger burning in his eyes. “Remember, no matter what happens. We cannot retreat! We have to keep going at all costs, even if we only have one zord left. Everything is riding on this one attack.” 

“Right!” the Rangers responded, placing their Mega blades into their cockpits. 

“Attack!” Jayden shouted.

* * *

Lightning exploded in the temple, causing several monks to be sent to the floor. 

A raven haired woman with purple eyes limped down the long corridors, knocking anyone away that tried to stop her. The woman reached the main room of the temple, watching two figures sitting around a coffee table. An elderly couple played a game of chess, ignoring the chaos in the temple. 

"You lied to me!" she shouted, lightning crackling around her. 

"Glad to see you survived Temporal Rewind, Lilith Abukara," the elderly woman spoke. 

"I survived because I wasn't the one that casted it," Lilith spat. "Where is it? Where is the Purple Shogun Disk?!" 

"In the hands of the rightful one," the elderly man replied, moving one of the pawns in the board.

"What?" Lilith snarled. 

"Your daughter, Maria Abukara also survived the Temporal Rewind," the elderly woman answered. "We found your daughter worthy of wielding the Purple Shogun Power." 

“That’s impossible!” Lilith hissed. “The power was to be bestowed on me!” 

"We wouldn't let someone wield such power, especially one so cruel and murderous," the elderly man replied. 

"Cruel?" Lilith scoffed, looking offended. "I put everything back like it was supposed to be. The Nighlok would win. The Rangers would die. The world would end and everything would start again. This time in my vision!" 

"That's where you're wrong, child," the elderly woman stated, moving the knight piece. "The power of the Purple Shogun isn't a God like power. It comes with a sacrifice." 

"We believed you weren't worthy," the elderly man declared. 

"You have done nothing to earn it," the elderly woman added. 

Lilith clenched her jaw, summoning her SpinSword and aimed at the two elderly people. "I'll show you how worthy I am to wield that power, you geezers!" She shot forward, blade at her side, ready to attack. The old couple moved faster, stopping her mid attack and suppressing Lilith into the ground. The Purple Samurai Ranger couldn't move, frozen in fear as the power emitting from the two evaded her senses. 

"Be gone Lilith Abukara, for what you came here to seek, has been passed on to the true warrior," the elderly woman pointed out. 

"Be grateful we let you live, Lilith Abukara," the elderly man added. "This is your chance to redeem yourself." 

Lilith nodded and the elderly couple released her, only for Lilith to attack them. The power around them wavered and Lilith caught a glimpse of the future. She smiled and spat, "I might have not gotten the power, but I will be the one to end the world!" 

The two elderly people raised their hands, ready to attack Lilith but she vanished from sight , her laughter echoing throughout the temple.

* * *

“So, you’re coming back for more, eh?!” Xandred yelled out, raising his hand at the Gigazord. He threw another Lightning attack, throwing the mecha back a few feet, before exploding. Three zords flew out of the Gigazord, making the Green Ranger exclaim, “We lost three zords with that attack!” 

“Keep going! We still have eight of our zords left!” Jayden shouted as the Gigazord walked towards Xandred. 

Xandred cackled at the Rangers and stated, “You just don’t know when to quit!” He raised his Broadsword, swinging at the Rangers with an energy slash. The Rangers surroundings exploded, making them cover their faces. 

“We’ll never quit!” Jayden snarled. 

“Almost there!” Antonio declared, clenching his jaw.

“You’re making this too easy,” Xandred mocked, wielding his sword in front of him. He thrust his blade into the Gigazord, sparks flying out of the mecha. The Gigazord sword exploded once more, sending several zords flying in the air. “Destroying you piece by piece.” 

“Keep going!” Jayden yelled as the Megazord advanced. 

“Are you really that determined to march to your own destruction?!” Xandred continued, sending another energy slash at the Rangers. The attack destroyed the Megazord’s shield, breaking it in half and made the Megazord stagger back. 

In the cockpit, the Rangers were battered, most of the inside of the Megazord destroyed. “Okay guys, this is it!” Jayden told them, glancing at the Rangers around him. “I just want to say, that no Red Ranger has ever led a better team of Samurai.”

“Jayden…” Mia began. 

“I’m honored to have fought beside you,” Jayden added. “And to call you my friends.” 

Kevin smiled at that and stated, “I think I can say that we all feel the same way.” The rest of the Rangers nodded in response and looked at their Red Ranger. “It all comes down to this,” Jayden stated, determination flowing in his pained limbs. 

“What a touching moment,” came a voice. 

The Rangers grew alarmed at the voice and gasped, seeing Lilith standing in front of them. “Too bad you will all die today.” She aimed her SpinSword at them, lightning crackling at the tip. “I won’t let you win this game, Rangers.” 

“How did you…” Mia gasped out, her eyes wide. 

“How the hell are you still alive?!” Antonio snarled, clenching his jaw angrily.

“The abilities of a God,” Lilith responded. 

“Guys! Xandred is approaching us!” Mike stated, noticing the Nighlok walking towards them. 

“Good,” Lilith cackled. “Now we will all die together!” 

Antonio was about to release his Mega blade but Jayden stopped him. “If you leave, we won’t have enough Symbol Power to destroy Xandred.” 

“What do we do?!” Emily asked in concern. 

Suddenly the SpinSword beside Antonio, lifted off the ground, shooting towards Lilith and stabbed her in the shoulder, pinning her in the cockpit of the Megazord. The Rangers watched in amazement as a purple glow surrounded the blade. Maria manifested from the blade, appearing with her hand at the handle, glaring at Lilith. 

“Is that…” 

“Maria,” Antonio gasped out, tears stinging his eyes. “I knew it!” 

“I’ll hold her,” Maria told the Rangers. “Defeat Xandred! Now!” 

“Right!” the Rangers nodded 

“Use all the Symbol Power you have left!” Jayden ordered the Rangers. 

“Do you think I’ll let them finish off Xandred?” Lilith declared, glaring at Maria. 

“You will,” Maria replied. “Because I have something you want.” She showed a Purple disk in front of Lilith’s face, making her mother’s eyes widen. 

“If I let you have it, you’ll leave us alone enough to defeat Xandred,” Maria ordered. “You can kill us however you want later.” 

Lilith grinned and glanced at her daughter. “It seems we have a deal.” She swiped the disk from her hand and vanished from sight, with Maria removing the sword from the scorched wall. 

“Now!” Jayden shouted as the Rangers lifted their mega swords in the air.

Maria could feel the power building up around her and she turned to find the blades of the Rangers glowing. “Samurai Strike!” 

On the outside, the MegaZord’s blade glowed with the Rangers symbols. The MegaZord then swung diagonally on the Master of all Nighloks, slashing at him with a fatal attack. “Imposible!” Xandred roared, staggering towards the Rangers. The Nighlok grabbed the MegaZord, making the Rangers look at him in alarm. 

“Samurai Rangers!”

“Hear me now,” Xandred snarled. “You may have won this battle, but our quest to rule your world will never end! You may have defeated me but the Nighlok will rise again!” 

Xandred exploded, taking the MegaZord with him and half of the city.

The Sanzu River water was receding back into the Netherworld gaps, taking along several Nighlok and Moogers. 

Xandred’s ship was also being dragged back into the Netherworld, with Octoroo on board. “Ooh ah ooh! There’s no one left but Octoroo!” Octoroo exclaimed as he grabbed on the deck. He was being swung around violently as the ship was thrown back into the Netherworld. “Well, so much for the boss big plans! They’ve all gone down the drain! Literally!” 

The ship began to sink into the depths of the Sanzu River water, taking Octoroo with it, never to be seen again.

* * *

Maria found herself floating in the air as she descended rapidly. She quickly glanced around, finding the rest of the Rangers free falling from the sky as well.  _ Shit! _ She quickly grabbed her Zord and her Samuraizer, throwing them in the air. “Wolf Zord! Big!” 

Immediately, there was a flash of Purple as the Wolf Zord grew Mega sized, barking in response. “Catch us Lyall!” Maria ordered as the Wolf Zord barked, catching the Rangers before grabbing her. Maria appeared in the cockpit of her Zord, seeing all the Rangers laid inside and let out a breath of relief. The Wolf Zord landed on the ground, making the ground shake before bending down. The Wolf Zord placed the Rangers on the ground gently and shrunk back into wolf size. 

“Thanks girl,” Maria told the Zord, rubbing her head. Lyall whined as Maria neared the Rangers, placing her hands on them, healing their injuries. 


	66. The End of Lilith Abukara

Jayden slowly opened his eyes to find himself on the ground. He quickly sat up, finding the rest of the Rangers around him, laid there exhausted. Somehow they had survived the explosion and the free fall from the sky. 

Jayden sighed in relief, letting out a small laughter. “We did it.” 

“Yes you did,” came a voice. 

The Red Ranger glanced at Maria, who was looking at them. She was petting her Wolf Zord and knew that the Purple Ranger had something to do with their rescue. Jayden smiled at her, shakingly getting to his feet and hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you’re back.” Maria grinned back, hugging him back. 

“Hey, I’m getting jealous,” declared Antonio’s voice. Maria and Jayden broke their hug as the Gold Ranger limped towards them, embracing the Purple Ranger, swinging her around. “I’m glad you’re alive!” Antonio declared, making Maria laugh. “Stop dying on me!” 

“I promise that was the last!” Maria laughed back, kissing his lips. 

The rest of the Rangers, got on their feet, laughing and hugging each other. “We did it!” Mike shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “We finally did it!” 

“Yes you did,” Maria stated, looking at the Rangers. “You accomplished what my Rangers never could. I’m happy and proud of you all.” 

“And I find it so sappy,” interrupted a voice.

Maria’s eyes grew wide while the Rangers grew alarmed, spinning around to find Lilith standing before them. In her hands, she held the Purple Shogun disk in her hands. “Sorry to cut your party short, Rangers,” Lilith snickered. “But this is where you will fall.” 

The Purple Samurai attached the disk on her SpinSword, spinning it around. A purple glow covered her body, the armor of the Purple Shogun formed around her, making the Rangers take a step back. “Shogun Mode! Power of the Ancestors!” 

“No way!” Mike gasped out. 

“That power,” Kevin breathed, feeling the intimidation of Lilith’s unwavering power.

Lilith stood there for a moment glancing at her armor, letting out a laugh. “This power! It’s amazing!” She glanced at her daughter, who narrowed her eyes at Lilith. “Thank you dear daughter! Now I can kill you all!”

The Rangers turned to Maria, shock evident in their faces. Maria ignored their glares and looked at Lilith. 

The Purple Samurai’s SpinSword blade began to glow purple and Lilith slashed at the Rangers. “Lightning Slash!” Maria took out her Samuraizer, auto-morphing and summoned her SpinSword. She shot forward, spinning around and sent out an energy slash at Lilith. “Lightning Slice!” 

The two purple energy slashes collided with each other, creating an explosion. 

The Rangers covered their faces from the impact, while Maria was sent flying backwards into a collapsed building. 

“Maria!” Antonio shouted, seeing Maria struggling to get off the ground. He felt a presence behind him and turned around to find Lilith in front of him. “This time, you won’t escape from me,” Lilith declared, slashing at his chest. The Gold Ranger cried out in pain, collapsing the ground as he grabbed his injury. He tried to get off the ground and flee but Lilith kicked him back to the ground. “I’m going to slaughter you!”

The Purple Shogun raised her SpinSword high in the air, only to receive a kick on the side, sending her flying backwards. The Red Ranger was in front of the Gold Ranger, SpinSword in hand. “Leave him alone,” Jayden shouted, his green eyes burning in anger. 

“Fight me then,” Lilith grinned, wielding her SpinSword in front of her. 

The Red Ranger scoffed angrily and shot forward, wielding his sword beside him. Suddenly he felt a shot of pain throughout his body and he stumbled, dropping his SpinSword. He fell to his knees, panting heavily, coughing. He glanced at his hand, noticing blood covering his palm. 

Lilith approached him, laughing. “You overexerted yourself. Too bad.” She spun around, kicking the Red Ranger into a half collapsed building. 

The unsteady building shook as the Red Ranger slammed into it, causing the rest of the building collapse into the Red Ranger. 

“Jayden!” Kevin shouted, seeing the ruble falling into the Red Ranger.

Emily took out her Samuraizer, hoping to write a symbol in time. 

“Symbol Power!” came another shout. 

Emily’s face lit up hearing the familiar voice and watched as the ruble floated in the air, shooting towards Lilith. The Purple Samurai dodged the attacks with ease, glaring at the newcomer. 

Serena and Lauren had arrived. 

* * *

Lauren quickly rushed towards her brother, seeing how weakened he was. She wasn’t faring any better, but she insisted to greet the Rangers after their triumph. Lauren helped her younger brother to his feet and made him lean against her. “Are you okay?” 

Jayden only nodded, giving her a small smile. “Fine. Thank you.” 

Lauren nodded in response before glancing at Lilith in the distance.    
  
“I see,” Lilith stated, glancing at Lauren and Serena. “My apprentice and the true Yellow Ranger. If you came here to stop me, you came here for nothing. I will kill you all!” 

Lilith powered up her sword, her blade vibrating with energy and swung at the three Rangers. 

Serena immediately summoned an earth wall with her Samuraizer, stopping her attack. 

Maria got off the ruble, panting heavily, observing her mother fight Serena. She tightened her grip on her SpinSword and limped towards Lilith. 

“Don’t move too much,” Mia told the Gold Ranger, who grunted. 

“I have to see if Maria’s fine,” Antonio protested, trying to stand up but Mia pushed him back down. 

“In our condition we can’t do much,” Mia replied. “We exhausted our Symbol Power defeating Xandred. We’ll only get in the way.” 

“Kevin and Mike are going to join my sister, but I doubt they’ll be able to do much,” Emily pointed out, seeing that the Blue and Green Rangers had run towards the fight. 

“Why did Maria give her the Shogun Disk?” 

“If she hadn’t, she would’ve let us die by Xandred’s hand,” Mia declared. 

“But this is worse,” Emily stated. “She knows we’re weakened. She can easily kill us.” 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point,” Antonio replied, worry lacing his voice.

* * *

Serena dodged Lilith’s attack, feeling the searing pain of the slash slicing her arm. She staggered back, holding her wound, making Lilith laugh. “Not even you can keep up with me!” 

“Man, she’s nuts,” Serena muttered under her breath. 

The White Ranger noticed a streak of Purple heading towards them and smirked. She shot forward as well, wielding her SpinSword with her good arm and swung. Lilith blocked the attack, lifting her leg to kick her away when she felt a sword slashing her back. 

The Purple Ranger staggered forward and spun around, slicing Maria diagonally. The Purple Ranger gasped out, blood spurting the air. Her SpinSword blade broke from the impact of Lilith’s attack, half of the blade flying in the air and clattered the ground. 

Maria skidded the ground, collapsing to one knee as she held her injury. 

“I’m tired of you meddling,” Lilith snarled, raising her sword to her side. “Always ruining my fun!” She placed the blade beside Maria’s neck. “I’m going to end you.” 

Maria looked at her mother and stated, “No. I will never stop meddling until the Rangers are safe. For your fun, you ruined it for yourself.” 

Lilith looked at her daughter confused. 

“I knew there wasn’t a way to stop you without either of us ending up dead,” Maria told her. “But there’s something I didn’t tell you about the Shogun’s power. It can only be used once and it ends up sacrificing half of your Ranger power.” 

“Lies!” Lilith declared, her blade nicking Maria’s neck. “You lie!” 

“No,” Maria stated, looking at her mother sadly. “The power that ends up being sacrificed is the one you use with the Shogun Power. Since you used your Lightning powers, you will no longer wield the element.” 

Lilith grinned, her worry fading away. “Then I still have my Time powers. I still have the chance to change the timeline to destroy you and the Rangers!” 

Lilith removed her blade from Maria’s neck, ready to decapitate her. 

“You’re wrong,” Maria continued, glancing at Lilith. “With your Time powers intact, you will be forever stuck in the Time dimension until your death. Only overseeing the future, but never having enough power to change the past. You had your chance Lilith, but your ambition clouded you.” 

Lilith shook her head, not wanting to believe her daughter’s words. She clenched her jaw angrily and swung her sword towards Maria’s neck. 

“Maria!” Antonio screeched, seeing the blade about to cut her. 

Maria closed her eyes, a fear tears slipping down her cheeks. “Time’s up, mother.” 

Lilith’s blade stopped at Maria’s neck, drawing up blood. The SpinSword powered down, with the Shogun disk clattering the ground, broken in half. “No…” Lilith whispered, seeing the disk on the floor.

The Purple Ranger took a few steps back, shaking her head. “You...You! Tricked me…!” Her SpinSword disappeared from her hands, making Lilith let out a cry of fear. “It-It can’t end like this!” she shouted. 

The Rangers watched as she began to grow purple, while Maria opened her eyes to watch her mother.

Lilith looked at Maria, fear evident in her face. “You will pay for this! I swear it! You will pay!” Lilith turned to flee the inevitable, but as she ran, she started to disintegrate. She let out an anguished scream, watching that with each step she took, she was vanishing from the world of the living. 

Maria watched as her mother faded away, a sense of dread overcoming her. “Goodbye….mother.” 

_ I’m sorry it had to be this way. _

The Rangers let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.

“She’s gone,” Mike stated, glancing at the Rangers.

“She disintegrated,” Lauren murmured. 

The Pink and Gold Ranger approached the Purple Ranger, who was still on her knees, head bowed. Antonio kneeled in front of her, cupping her face with his hands. “Don’t shed tears,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “She isn’t worth them.” 

“She was still my mother,” Maria whispered, glancing at his face. 

“She gave life to you, but she wasn’t your mother,” Mia told her, kneeling beside her. “A mother wouldn’t do those atrocious things she did to you.” 

“Mia is right,” Antonio nodded. “She tried to kill you. She tried to kill us.” 

“She wanted to destroy our world and recreate a new one,” Mike pointed out as he walked towards the others. Emily, Jayden, Serena, Kevin and Lauren joined him, nodding in agreement. 

“You did the right thing,” Lauren told her. “She’ll be stuck in the Time Dimension, where she won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.”

Maria looked at the Rangers and sighed, “I wish things wouldn’t turn out this way. But her ambition got the best of her.”

“That was her fatal flaw,” Serena told her. “Her ambition led her to this. Don’t blame yourself for what you did.” 

Maria gave the Rangers a small smile, understanding what they were telling her. She did the right thing. 

The Gold Ranger smiled at her, wiping her tears from Maria’s face and helped her to her feet. “I think it’s time for us to head home.” The Rangers agreed, the smiles returning in their faces. 

“We should be proud!” Mike began, patting the Rangers back. “We defeated Xandred and the Purple Samurai!” 

Jayden smiled at that and placed his hand mid air. 

The other Rangers grinned and placed their hands on top of his. “Rangers together!” 

“Samurai Forever!” 

Maria watched the Rangers laugh, embracing each other and internally smiled. 

_ We did it _ . 

_ For Kaisoko-Hime. _

_ For Future Jayden.  _

_ For  _ our _ future. _

* * *

__ Mentor Ji watched the Rangers eat dinner together for the last time. They were happily chattering, without a care in the world. The heaviest weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They had saved the world from the Nighlok. Now that the Rangers duties were over, the Rangers were going their separate ways. 

Mentor Ji smiled at that but at the same time he felt saddened. The Rangers had grown and bonded together in such a short time. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Lauren looking at him. She gave him a concerned look and asked, “Are you okay, Mentor?” 

Ji saw the worry glittering her green eyes and nodded, giving her a smile. “Yes, enjoying this while it lasts.” 

Lauren nodded in understanding and looked at the Rangers. “This is enjoyable.” 

Both observed the Pink Ranger giggling at Kevin at one of his badly attempted jokes. Emily was smearing mashed potatoes on Mike’s nose, while he made faces at her. Antonio and Maria were looking at pamphlets, pointing out at a map in front of them. Serena was telling Jayden something that made him blush, embarrassed. 

“This made me feel like part of a family again. I’m going to miss this.” 

Lauren squeezed Mentor Ji’s shoulder. “I know how you must be feeling.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Ji told her, turning to Lauren. “They’re happy and that’s all that matters. They all have lives to live now, I can’t keep them here forever.” 

“You’re right,” Lauren nodded, turning back to the Rangers. “But you got them and me now. We’re your family Mentor. We’ll be there when you need us.” 

“Thank you,” Mentor Ji told Lauren, making her grin. 

“That’s what family is for.”

* * *

Jayden sat at a bench in the Shiba House yard, watching the wind carry the colorful leaves. He couldn’t believe what had happened in the last few days. They had defeated the Nighlok and all the Rangers had been saved. They had saved the future, just like he had promised to the Purple Ranger. 

He wondered if his future self would be proud that he was able to accomplish what Future Jayden couldn’t.  _ I wonder if my other self can see it now, _ Jayden wondered.  _ That the Rangers will be able to live the lives they were meant to actually live. _

“Hey.” 

The Red Ranger turned around, finding Lauren standing behind him, wearing a red long sleeved shirt with a black cardigan, dress shorts and leggings with boots. A suitcase was beside her and Jayden looked at his sister in surprise. “Leaving?” 

Lauren gave a nod, walking towards her brother and sat beside him. “Yeah. This might have been my home when I was younger, but I think it’s time to move on, you know?”

Jayden nodded in understanding and looked back at the sky. “Where to?” 

“Anywhere,” Lauren grinned. “Now that I have all the time of the world, I’m going to travel.” 

Jayden smiled, hearing the enthusiasm in his sister’s voice and stated, “The sky’s the limit, sis. You can do anything you can dream of, Lauren.” 

“You as well,” Lauren replied, glancing at her brother. “Now that you’re not the Red Ranger anymore, you’re free to do what you want.” 

Jayden nodded and glanced at his sister, sadness in his green eyes. “Will I see you again?” 

“Of course,” Lauren smiled, embracing her brother. “We’re family, aren’t we?” Jayden hugged her tightly before hearing a beep and Lauren looked at her watch. “I need to leave in order to catch my flight.” Lauren looked at her brother and kissed his forehead. “Stay safe. Call me or text me, ok? I will always be here for you.” 

Jayden smiled at her and nodded. “Noted.” 

“Good,” Lauren replied, getting to her feet. “That way you can hear my voice and not miss it.” Her voice slightly cracked, saying that, knowing she was going to miss her brother once more. Jayden chuckled at that and declared, “Take care, ok?” 

“Of course,” Lauren nodded, taking her suitcase and turned around, waving at her brother goodbye.

The Red Ranger headed back inside the Shiba House, finding his friends with suitcases and bags in their hands, ready to depart as well. 

The Pink Ranger found him standing in the middle of the house, seeing him standing alone. “Where’s Lauren?” She swung a backpack over her shoulder, making Jayden sigh. “She just left. She isn’t really good with saying goodbyes.” 

“I see,” Mike replied, giving a nod. 

Jayden crossed his arms across his chest, giving them a smile. “So, now that you’re free of the Ranger burden, where to?” 

The Rangers glanced at the Pink Ranger, who was bouncing in excitement. She approached Jayden, demonstrating an acceptance letter to a school. “I’m got accepted and I’m heading to culinary school, here in Panorama City!”

“Congrats!” Emily stated, hugging the Pink Ranger tightly. 

“Hey, now you can improve more!” Mike teased, making Mia elbow him gently.

“Oh shush! Kevin taught me a lot, but I think it’s time to go beyond!” Mia replied. 

The Blue Ranger blushed at her compliment and squeezed her hand. “I’m going back to the swim team,” Kevin announced. “I caught up to my coach the other day and he told me I have enough time to train for the Olympic qualifying tournament. It’s going to be hard but…” 

“If anyone can do it, you can,” Maria told him, giving him a smile. 

“Hey, she’s right,” Antonio added, nodding. “You’re like a fish in water.” 

“Absolutely,” the other Rangers agreed. 

Kevin smiled at his friends compliments and stated, “Thanks guys.” 

“Well, I’m heading home for a while,” Serena told the Rangers. “I probably owe my parents a shit ton of explanations to why I disappeared for so long, despite Mentor telling them what happened. After that, I’m moving to Panorama City. I promised a certain someone that I would teach them how to have fun.” Serena looked at Jayden, who blushed in embarrassment. 

“Is this a, future relationship, I’m smelling?” Mike joked, earning a glare from Serena and an embarrassed look from Jayden. 

“I’m heading back home as well,” Emily quickly told the Rangers, sending the murderous intent from her sister. “But it’ll be for small while. Mike and I are deciding to finish high school and buying a house.” Mike grinned, glancing at Emily. “We’re too attached to each other to be separated.” He kissed the Yellow Ranger’s cheek, making her blush. 

The Rangers cooed at them, making both Rangers blush. 

Jayden glanced at his best friend. “And you?” 

“Well,” Antonio stated, glancing at Maria, who smiled at him. “We’re leaving Panorama City.” The Purple Ranger showed the Rangers a pamphlet with a cruise ship. “We’re going on an around the world fishing expedition.” 

The Rangers gaped at that. “I’m going to catch different fish from around the world!” Antonio stated excitedly. 

“I’m not for the fish, but I always wanted to travel,” Maria told them, embarrassed. “I’ve never left the city before.” 

“Wait,” Mike stated, raising a hand. “You’ve travelled different timelines, but you never travelled?” 

“No,” Maria quietly stated, glancing away. 

“How does that make sense?!” Mike cried out, making the Rangers laugh.

“Don’t question it!” Maria shouted back at him, red in shame. 

Jayden laughed before waving at them to follow him. “C’mon, Mentor is waiting.”

* * *

The Rangers followed the Red Ranger outside, where Mentor Ji greeted them. Each Ranger took turns in hugging him, bidding their goodbyes to him. 

“What are you going to, Mentor?” Mike asked, fist bumping him. 

“My place is here,” Ji told the Rangers. “The Shiba House must always be ready for the next Nighlok attack. Even if it may never come.” 

There was a silence, the Rangers noticing this would be the last time they would be together. 

“Well, this is it,” Kevin declared, glancing at the Rangers. “We’re all going our separate routes.” 

“We’ll have each others number,” Mia nodded. “We can still contact each other, for anything.” 

“Even if it’s for a gathering, help or a simple hello,” Emily added. 

Maria looked at the Rangers, seeing that this is what Future Jayden wanted and smiled. “Don’t forget to invite everyone to each of our future weddings.” The Rangers broke into laughter at that, nodding in agreement. 

“Of course,” Mike nodded, kissing Emily’s cheek once more. 

Antonio smiled at that and stated, “Can we do it one more time?” 

The Rangers looked at him confused as the Gold Ranger extended his hand. “Rangers together?” 

The Samurai all grinned and placed their hands on top of his. “Samurai Forever!” 

The Rangers all laughed at that exclamation before beginning to head out. They wove their goodbyes to Mentor Ji and Jayden, to each other before exiting the Shiba Gates.

Jayden watched the Rangers leave, feeling like part of his heart left with each one of them. 

_ Goodbye, my friends.  _


	67. Epilogue

Maria leaned against the railing of the cruise ship, hearing the ocean roar below. She felt relaxed and so at ease, it was a feeling she had never felt before. All her life, she was worried something bad was going to happen. That, she was never fast enough to avoid the inevitable. 

This time, she was fast enough. 

She had saved the Ranger from their impending doom. 

They had saved the world and now the world was at peace. 

_ For now _ . 

The Purple Ranger opened her eyes, glancing at the sky. She had a feeling that something was coming. But for right now, she was going to relax to the ocean waves. 

Her phone rang, making her groan and open her eyes. She dug around her pockets, noticing it was a text from the Gold Ranger. _I ordered room service. Come eat!_

She smiled and put her phone away, walking back to the room. She treaded the long corridors of the bedroom wing, finding her and Antonio's room. She unlocked the door, finding that the lights were off. Her guard went up and she took out her Samuraizer from her pocket, ready for an attack. "Antonio?" she called out, stepping into the room. 

The lights went on and Maria spun around to find the Gold Ranger sitting at the dining table. She sighed in relief, putting her Samuraizer away. "Dammit! You scared me!"

Antonio laughed and said, "Sorry for that." 

Maria glanced at the table, wondering what Antonio ordered when she noticed a single covered dish. 

"I ordered only dessert," Antonio explained, beckoning her to sit. 

Maria smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Dessert isn't a meal." She walked over and sat on the chair opposite of him. He was giving her a grin, she had never seen before and grew suspicious. 

_"Bon appetit!"_ Antonio told her, uncovering the plate. 

The Purple Ranger glanced at the dessert and froze at the cake in front of her. 

In delicate cursive, was the words,  _ Will you marry me? _

Maria didn’t know what to say or think and looked at the Gold Ranger in shock. Antonio gave her a smile, showing her a small box with a golden ring. “Will you?” he asked, his brown eyes shining bright. “Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

Maria smiled at him, tears stinging her eyes. “It was about time, Ant.” 

Antonio grinned hugely as he got off his chair, kneeling before her and took her hand. “I love you so much to let you go. You’re my everything. I want to spend the rest of my life together with you.” 

Maria nodded in response as he took out the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. 

“I love you so much, you don’t even know,” Maria whispered, cupping his face with her hands. She kissed him, deeply before they both broke for air. They leaned both of their foreheads together, grinning.

“I know,” Antonio told her. “You went into different timelines, just to save me.”

“And I would do it again,” Maria told him. 

“I know.” 

* * *

Kevin looked at his swimming coach in shock, shaking his head in amazement. “Wait, you mean…” 

His coach smiled at him and stated, “Yes, you heard me right Kevin. You’re going to Rio.” The Blue Ranger couldn’t believe his ears. He had qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics! He was going to the  _ big _ swimming championship! 

“Yes!” Kevin shouted, taking his coach into a tight hug. 

His teammates cheered behind him, each giving the Blue Ranger his congratulations. 

“Wow Kevin!” stated one of his teammates. “Getting married and going to the Olympics?” 

“I know!” Kevin stated with a giant grin on his face. He turned to his coach one more time and shook his hand. “Thank you coach. Without you, I wouldn’t have qualified.” 

“No Kevin,” his coach declared. “This was all you and all of your hard work!” 

“Thank you sir!” Kevin declared, turning to his teammates. “I’m going to Rio!”

* * *

Emily hung up the phone and turned to the Green Ranger, who was at the computer. “I have great news!” She skipped towards the Green Ranger, draping her arms on his shoulders, making him hum in response. 

“What did Mia tell you?” Mike asked, scrolling down the webpage he was browsing. 

“She just told me that her fiancé qualified for the Rio Olympics,” Emily replied, bouncing in excitement.

Mike paused mid scroll and turned to face Emily, surprise on his face. “No way!”

“Yes way!” Emily grinned, making Mike smile.

“We got to celebrate!” the Green Ranger told her, getting out of his seat.

“Yes, we do!” Emily told him. “But Maria and Antonio aren’t back from their cruise.” 

“Well, how we celebrate them in our wedding?” Mike suggested, making Emily smile. “That’s a great idea! We can also tell them that you graduated high school!”

“Of course!” Mike grinned, taking Emily in his arms and pulled her close. “I can’t wait for our wedding to be here. I already want to call you my wife.” 

Emily smiled at him and stated, “And you my husband.” 

Both rangers exchanged a kiss before smiling, breaking off. 

“I need to finish unpacking,” Emily told him. “This house needs to be prepared when our day arrives.” The Yellow Ranger kissed him once more before turning away from the Green Ranger, taking a box towards the kitchen.

Mike smiled as he watched her leave, noticing how lucky he was to have a girl like Emily.

* * *

Jayden watched the White Ranger spin around in the ocean waters, laughing. “C’mon you big wuss! The waters not even that cold!” 

The Red Ranger snickered and shook his head. “No thanks. I’m fine here.” 

Serena rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. She threaded through the waves and walked towards the Red Ranger. She grabbed his arms gently and pulled him to his feet. “C’mon fire boy!” 

Jayden smiled, letting Serena pull him into the water, laughing. 

Both Rangers splashed around the water, having a great time. 

“See I told you!” Serena told him, splashing some water into the Red Ranger.

“Okay! You got me,” Jayden replied, chuckling. 

Suddenly a wave crashed into both Rangers, making them tumble together. When the wave receded, the White Ranger was on top of the Red Ranger. Serena spit out water, soaked to the bone, making Jayden chuckle seeing her face. 

Serena smiled, laughing as well before noticing she was on top of him. She blushed a crimson red, while the Red Ranger mirrored her face. Serena immediately got off him and helped the Red Ranger to his feet. “Sorry,” both exclaimed, embarrassed. They looked at each other, before bursting in laughter. 

“Man, you were right,” Serena told him. “Maybe it was better if you stayed over there.” 

“No, it was better over here,” Jayden replied, honestly. “I’ve never had that much fun before. Thanks Serena.”

Serena smiled at him, extending her hand towards him. “Let’s go again. Maybe this time, I can steal a kiss.” Jayden blushed at that, glancing at her hand before looking at Serena. Her face was lit up with happiness he never saw before and he felt his heart swell in his chest. He felt warm and fuzzy, a feeling he never had felt before. He took her hand, smiling and nodded. 

“Let’s see who steals it first.”

* * *

In the vast void of eternal darkness, a ragged raven haired woman stared at the grid before her. It wavered a couple of times, assaulting her mind with visions and dreams, never once letting her sleep. She heard footsteps and quickly glanced in the void, trying to find the sound. She noticed someone standing a few feet away from her. 

A sinister grin appeared in her and she walked towards the other woman, circling her. 

“It’s been a while."

“A year, exactly,” the other woman answered. She glanced at the grid in front of her, watching the energy pulse every couple of seconds. "How is it looking?"

"Of course," the ragged haired woman scoffed, glancing away. "It's the only thing I'm useful for, no? A pathetic fortune teller." 

The raven haired woman glared at the other, her hazel eyes narrowing.  “You brought this upon yourself. I didn't want this to happen to you. Your ambition clouded you. Be grateful the Morphin Grid gave you this chance, even though I think you don't deserve it." 

The ragged woman spun around and pointed at the other. "You wanted this! You left me in this endless void! Your own mother, Maria! You _monster!_ " 

"The only monster here is you," Maria proclaimed, watching her mother pace around. "You wanted the world destroyed and these are the consequences for your actions." 

"I don't want to be reprimanded!" Lilith spat. "What do you want from me?" 

"The Morphin Grid is demonstrating a fluctuation of power," Maria began. "It is uneasy, like it's anticipating a disaster. Veteran Rangers have been sensing it too. Mentor Ji communicated with Tommy Oliver, who believes is the collapse of the Morphin Grid. What do you see in the future mother?" 

Lilith turned away from her daughter, remaining silent. 

Maria began to grow impatient, until she heard her mother cackling. 

The ex-Purple Samurai Ranger grabbed her hair and tugged on it, her purple eyes wide and crazed. "I saw it, Maria! I saw the end of times! It is wonderful!" She turned to her daughter, who was unfazed by her maniac outburst. "A large armada is headed to Earth. They will destroy the world as we know it. It will be the end of the Morphin Grid!" She neared her daughter, grabbing her by the shoulders and stared into her hazel eyes. "I told you! I told you!" Lilith whispered. "Insolent fool! I told you the Rangers would fall! You just avoided the inevitable, _sweetheart!"_

Maria glanced at the void, watching the power fluctuate erratically. 

"I doubt it will be the end of the Ranger line," Maria stated. 

"No, no!" Lilith shook her head, releasing her daughter's shoulders. "I saw the fall. I saw how the Armada destroys the Rangers. No one survives!" She cackled, bitting her fingernails and whispered, "My revenge of the Rangers is so close to my grasp!" 

"Even if the Rangers fell, you're still stuck in this dimension for eternity. You will not age or die. There is no escape," Maria commented. She turned away from her mother, ready to leave. "If you believe the Rangers will fall that easily, you're the insolent fool. The Morphin Grid is strong as ever, if not stronger than before. All the Rangers before us are still connected. If there is an Armada coming to attack Earth, then we will be ready. Not just the Samurai Rangers, but all the Rangers." 

Maria turned to glance at her mother. 

"And we will defeat this invading force, no matter the cost." 

The Purple Samurai Ranger walked away, disappearing into the void. Thus, leaving Lilith alone in the Time Dimension once more. 

“We will see about that,” Lilith whispered. 

Maria opened her eyes to find herself in the temple, where the two elders were seated playing a chess game. "How was the trip?" the elderly man asked. 

"Irritable," Maria answered, standing up and patting out the non existent dust from her skirt. 

"We should've absorbed her," the elderly woman replied. "She would've been a better use in the Morphin Grid." 

"And risk a new Ranger in wilding such power?" Maria pointed out, shaking her head. 

The elderly couple glanced at her. "The Purple Shogun chose well. You were selfless and didn't use the power for yourself, but to defeat Lilith." 

Maria smiled at the two elders. "I appreciate that the Morphin Grid complimented me and sees me worthy to be in it. I didn't need more power. The Rangers completed their mission fine without me." 

"The new generation of Rangers will need as much help as they can," the elderly woman replied. 

"Their enemy is powerful, one that could shatter the world," the elderly man added. 

"The MegaForce Rangers are strong," Maria told them. "You are holding well for now." 

"But we will collapse if they die," the elderly man pointed out. 

"In a year time, the Armada will reach our Earth," the elderly woman replied. "The MegaForce will need all the help they can get. Including yours." 

"Will you be up for the task?" the Morphin Grid questioned. 

"I think I speak for everyone that we are," Maria commented as behind her the spirits of all the different Rangers before her appeared. "In exactly one year, we will aid the MegaForce Rangers to defeat the Armada." 

"Very well," the Morphin Grid stated. "I will await everyone's return to defeat our biggest threat yet." 

_"Until we meet again, my Rangers."_   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a re-upload of my first fanfiction first posted on FanFiction.net. April 6th, 2012 was when the first chapter of The Purple Samurai was uploaded. I am happy to say that it was a ride. It took 5 long years, but I finally completed The Purple Samurai's journey, Maria's journey. 
> 
> It took me 4 months to complete the last seven chapters, rewriting them 6 times all ending in different ways. My real ending was to end Maria’s journey with the Temporal Rewind, sacrificing herself for the rangers, but that seemed too cruel. Especially after building Antonio and Maria’s relationship for these six years. Instead, I chose the ending you read today. 
> 
> I will be continuing to write Fanfiction, but not for Power Rangers. 
> 
> Thank you, for reading The Purple Samurai.
> 
> Until the next Fanfiction.


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